Divine Retribution
by Mukaebi
Summary: Rating for later chapters. Anyway, this is a crossover with Yu Yu Hakusho (duh) and X-men: Evolution. I'm back! Sorry I've been gone for so long. Review please!
1. Chapter 1

Hey everyone, I just wanted to say that I don't own Yu-Yu Hakusho or X-men Evolution but I do own the characters Meibatsu and Yukio Kuromori. By the way, remember to read and review okay?  
  
Planes were taking off and landing, and the airport was packed with people. Different languages whirled around on the air like a swarm of locus. People were pushing and shoving as they tried their best to retrieve their bags and get their families onto the buses into the city. Tour guides waved flags around in the air as they tried to get their groups together. Squished amongst the throngs of people were three teenaged girls. One of them was panicked as she did her best not to come into contact with the other tourists. Another standing next to her clenched the straps on her backpack as she tried to keep her temper under control. The last pushed and shoved against the people as she yelled over the noise of the crowd. Rock music blared from her head phones as the three continued on. Eventually, they reached the sliding doors and the air of the parking lot brushed against their faces. It wasn't very pleasant air, but at least it was air. They stumbled onward toward the train station.  
The train station was even more crammed then the airport (if that was at all possible). They were forced this way and that around the station, like dust bunnies being shoved by a broom. One of the girls' CD players slipped out of her fingers and broke on the floor. She stood over it, her fist clenched. The CD player was her only source of sanity and now it was gone.she felt so - so - incomplete without it. It was almost like that thing had been a piece of her. Her friends irritably pulled her to her feet. With an angry scowl on her face, she marched onto the train.  
If the plane trip had been bad, then the ride on the train was even worse. Being on the train, in the middle of the morning rush was not a good thing. If it wasn't for the cold metal and glass of the train, they would've had no trouble at all derailing the things. If they died in a fiery train crash, it would've been better then being crushed against the businessmen and students on one side, and the train on the other.  
This.was going to be the longest three months of their entire lives.  
***  
"High school sucks." Yusuke muttered looking down at his schedule. A uniform of dark blue and black, similar to his old uniform from Sarayashiki, was clean, dirt and grit free. However, the fact that it was a black blazer with a blue shirt beneath with a matching black tie was really starting to irritate him. He wore his usual shoes, and his black hair was combed back. Chocolate brown eyes were narrowed into a glare.  
"Yusuke!" A voice called from behind. He turned around and a small smile spread on his lips. His eyes wandered up and down the body of the girl who was running up behind him. A knee length skirt of black and black tights matched with the same blazer, shirt and tie ensemble that Yusuke wore. Her brown hair was down and held back by a wide blue headband.  
"Hey Keiko" he said. Keiko noticed his wandering eyes and flushed.  
"You pervert!" she yelled smacking him hard across the face. "Jeez, when you grow up call me!"  
"And here I was just gonna tell you that the uniform looks nice on you" he grumbled in reply.  
"So are you excited?"  
"It's mid-term day, what's there to be excited about?" he cringed.  
"The new exchange students are arriving today!" she said brightly. "All three of them are girls, I wonder what they're like. Oh, Yusuke, do you think we could show them around town after school?"  
"No. The exchange students are all the same, brainy geeks."  
***  
On the other side of the school, the three girls walked in through the door. Whatever conversations were being discussed was cut short as the sound of combat boots echoed through the hallways. The "popular" kids muttered and whispered to themselves, never taking their eyes off the new girls. A boy standing with his back against the locker snickered. The girl closest to him whirled around. He gulped. Black gloved hands shot out and held his shoulders and green eyes bore into him like knives.  
"Somethin' on mah face sugah?" she hissed leaning down to glare at him.  
"N-no ma'am" he stuttered, not knowing what to say. She pulled him forward and slammed his back into the lockers. With an icy glare and quiet hiss, she turned and walked away, the other two girls smirking and laughing as they walked off. With a hand over his heart, the boy slid down to the tile floor. Anyone who had seen the incident parted to the sides of the wall.  
Walking into the school office, they were met with the equally stunned stares of the teachers. They couldn't help but smirk at the reactions they got from people. It was always so hilarious to watch. Heck, it was the only reason they had to going to the mall. All the preps and cheerleaders would always give them the same looks. They began to wonder it the teachers were asking themselves if they were really the new exchange students. You really couldn't tell by how they looked. One of the teachers, a middle aged man with glasses looked up at them and yelled.  
"Hey you! Those aren't your school uniforms!" He called out.  
"Oh, yeah, see babe, the ones you gave us are too small -"  
"And we don't allow hair bleaching here!" He continued, pointing to the brown and snowy white hair of one of the girls.  
"This ain't bleached ya yahoo! This is natural!" She yelled back, her southern accent thick.  
Turning around, totally fuming, she stormed of into the principle's room, the other two close behind. Without a word, they took their seats in front of the principles desk. Pulling out a stick of bubble gum, the youngest girl began to chew and blow bubbles happily, not noticing anything at all. It seemed like the principle was doing pretty much the same thing though. He just sort of sat there, shifting through the mountain of papers, files, folders, and detention slips. Lifting his eyes, he pulled out three folders from the top drawer. Taking his seat, he lowered the files to look at them.  
"Well, judging by the looks on your faces, I suppose that is would be pointless to ask if you had a good flight." He said with a small smile and a chuckle. The three girls just sat there and cringed. They had heard so many "Welcome to Japan" speeches that it was driving them crazy!  
"I just wanted to welcome you to our school and to Japan. I hope that you enjoy your three months here." He paused, pulling out three sheets of paper from the folder next to him. Class schedules. They looked over them, the names of the classes were written in English below the Japanese. Unfortunately, none of them had the same classes at the same time (aside from lunch of course). "Also, do not be too concerned with Mr. Fujiwara, he tends to be a little too strict with the uniform policy. However, I want you to have fitting uniforms by the end of this week. After school, because I understand that you are not staying with a family, I will be sending some of our students to help you unpack.  
"Can we just go now?" Whined one of the girls. "We're already late for our first class."  
"Oh, yes of course, I hope your first day goes well. You are dismissed." He watched as they left the room and groaned miserably in dismay. "Yusuke was enough of a problem on his own. What have I done to deserve this?"  
***  
Sitting around in the classroom, whether or not he was having a class was boring. There really wasn't that much to do aside from staring outside the window at the freedom that was so close and yet so hopelessly far away. Yusuke tapped his pencil against the top of his desk, his gaze on the ceiling. The lights were bright but to be perfectly honest, he didn't care. Thoughts of how to cut class floated around in the front of his mind. He could always leave at lunch. Lunch was always the best time to leave, besides, he wasn't going to miss that much anyway.  
As the teacher stepped into the classes, everyone quickly noticed the girl standing next to him. Dressed in black and green, dark make-up contrasted against unusually pale skin, and her caramel brown hair was streaked with white.  
"Everyone, could I get your attention please?" He called out. The students hushed and listened intently, wondering about whom this girl standing at the front of the room was. There was no way that she could be the exchange student that they had heard about.  
"I would like you to meet Rogue, one of the three exchange students who will be joining us for the next three months. I would like you all to give her a warm welcome and -"  
"Ya'll stay outta mah face, and Ah'll stay outta yours" Rogue growled coldly. The students cringed and whispered. Some of them paled and gulped. This girl was scary beyond all belief.  
"Um, well, that was quite the interesting self introduction. Why don't you take the seat over there? In the back, next to Mr. Urameshi" He said pointing. Wordlessly, she picked up her things and walked through the rows of desks to the back, flopping down into her chair and setting her backpack down on the floor next to her.  
Dimming the lights, the teacher brought out an overhead and began the lesson. Science, Rogue didn't like science. As quietly as she could, she pulled out a sketchbook and began doodling a cartoon of the teacher hanging upside down over a tank full of man-eating sharks.  
Her head whipped to the side as she heard snickering coming from her left. A cold glare met with brown eyes that just shone with admiration.  
"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that"  
***  
Down the hall in the computer lab, the teacher was having trouble with her newly added student. The sassy blonde in tight blue jeans and magenta tee was turning out to be quite the handful. The teacher was beginning to wonder if the principle sent her here just to get rid of her for a while and if that was the case, it wasn't that much of a surprise.  
"Miss Smith!" the teacher shouted. She couldn't hear here, she was a little busy dancing along with a down loaded music video.  
"Tabitha! Pay attention!"  
"What?!"  
"Please pay attention!"  
"Okay, ready for learning duty teacher lady!" Tabitha said with a salute and a smile. Sitting down and staring intensively at the computer screen, she didn't notice the teacher pulling out a bottle of aspirin and popping a pair of tablets into her mouth. Taking a drink from her bottle of water, she continued her lesson.  
"You really should pay attention you know, even though you aren't staying here, you're going to be graded," said Keiko.  
"Ah, who cares? Life shouldn't have to be about books and computers and stuff! Life should be about having fun and partying as much as humanly possible!" Tabitha whispered. "What's your name anyway?"  
"Keiko."  
"Keiko huh? Awesome name! Hey, you should come over after school! We could hang out and I can show you how the American party girls have fun!" She said excitedly.  
Keiko agreed but when she did, she suddenly got this sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She had no idea why but she had this strange notion that she should reserve a room at the hospital. A chill ran down her spine as she typed absentmindedly at the keyboard.  
***  
Everyone on the soccer team had been massacred. Well, the girls at least. That, Wanda Maximoff girl was really weird and oddly aggressive for a girl that even some of the guys were beginning to wonder if they would make it out of the gym class unscathed. Three girls had been sent to the school nurse already and class had only started about ten minutes ago.  
"Whoa, I thought Urameshi was the only one who could do that kind of damage," said a guy as he walked up to her. Wanda looked at him with an icy glare. She was actually a little surprised when he didn't back down. He just introduced himself with a goofy grin on his face. Kazuma Kuwabara, he seemed interesting but a little odd. Perfect.  
"Who's Yusuke Urameshi?" Wanda asked walking back into the building after class ended.  
"He's one of my friends, a real punk and a shorty. Not as much of a shrimp as Hiei but the guy sure can fight."  
"I'll bet you anything that he's already met Rogue and that they're getting along just fine," Wanda said with a smirk. Oh, the chaos that they could (and would) bring upon the high school. Life was good. There was no way that principle Kelly could send her to the other side of the world and to a prep school at that and not escape without harm. Whether the harm be physical or mental, he would not escape her unbridled wrath. She snickered mischievously, her mind flooding with all sorts of revenge tactics that would be both entertaining and agonizingly painful at the same time. Sigh, it felt so good to be evil! 


	2. Chapter 2

            School sucked. That was the only phrase that Rogue, Wanda and Tabitha could come up with to describe it. And they could swear to God that school there in Japan was longer then in the States. The sun had already started to set when they turned onto the street their temporary home was on. It was then that they really wished that they had a car. 

                Yawning (they haven't yet adjusted to the time change), their mouths hung open as they stood outside the gates of their house. 

                By Japanese standards, it…was…massive. Heck, it got pretty dang close to being the size of the Xavier Mansion. They didn't even bother to wonder why they didn't have any neighbors. It was a red brick house and the trees in the front yard provided shade. The eight-sectioned windows glistened in the dimming red sunlight. The walls surrounding the home were made of the same brick and the intricately designed gates were made of blackened iron. 

                "And we decided to live with the Brotherhood?" Tabitha said in awe. 

                "I don't even like living with them!" Wanda shouted. "That's it, as soon as we get home, I'm moving in with the X-men!"

***

                Spirit world. Or at least part of it. It nothing but a barren wasteland and the only source of shade was the dead and slowly rotting trees that occasionally showed up. The ground was parched, dry and cracking, brown and brittle desert weeds grew in the crevices. The sky was over cast by a blanket of gray clouds. A chilled wind blew the dust into the air. 

                Off in the distance stood a massive stone pillar. No one really knew how long it had been there, most didn't even know that there was a tower at all, let alone what it was for. Of course, that answer was easy to figure as you got closer and the smell of rotting flesh became sickeningly strong. 

                The tower had only a door and no windows and armed guards hovered around it like wasps near a hive. They held many different weapons, spears, swords, staffs and bows. It was the highest security prison in all of spirit world. Many had gone in and never came out. Most of them didn't die of natural causes, many committed suicide long before that point. The number inside the gray stone tower had been reduced to one, and she lived in the very top of the tower, chained and with her lips shown shut. 

                Now, the number of guards had been reduced to two and only at the door. It had been a very serious matter when the idea first came up but when they realized that no one ever tried to break in or out, that security settled the problem. 

                Footsteps kicked up dust that misted his black, white, and gray suit. Dark sunglasses covered his eyes from the floating sands. The red soil covered the pale skin of his face. His leather-gloved hands were tucked in his pockets, the right hand resting on a gun. 

                "You there! Stop!" Shouted one of guards. Pulling out the gun with almost inhuman speed, he shot them both. Snatching the keys from one of the limp bodies. Holding them in his other hand, he cringed as he pulled off the blood-covered glove. 

                The spiraled staircase seemed to go on forever. Reaching the top, he pushed the wooden door open. It creaked and as it hit the stone floor, he choked as thick clouds of dust fell into his lungs. A low growl came from the back wall and he smirked. 

                Both her hands and legs were chained to the wall. Plum colored hair fell to the small of her back and amethyst eyes stared at where the man was standing. Silk clothing, in shades of purples and black had since torn and faded. 

                "It's a shame that such a beautiful demon has been trapped here for so long," He said with a grin. She glared, wishing that she could talk. Pulling out a small pick from his sleeve, he turned and unlocked the chains around her body. Falling to the floor, her legs still weak from such a long time of no movement, she looked up at him quizzically. Lifting a trembling hand, she rested her index fingertip on the silk thread that pierced and criss-crossed her lips. 

                "All in good time young lady, all in good time."

***

                Yusuke, Keiko, and Kuwabara walked along the sidewalk. Keiko held a small slip of paper in her hand and looked down at it every time they came to a crossroads. They sort of knew where to go, but being in the middle class of society, they really didn't know where to go once they came to the richer half of the city. Large houses loomed on each side, and the gates around all of them were high. 

                It had been almost an hour when they finally found the right road. The houses were even larger and fewer and taking another right, if the sidewalk hadn't been made of concrete, Kuwabara's jaw would've gone through the center of the earth. 

                "Whoa!" He exclaimed. "Who got them this house?!" 

                "I have no idea," Yusuke replied staring. 

                "Yo, Keiko!" Tabitha called out running out the front door. "This is gonna be awesome! We started unpacking already and set up the stereo, when we're done I'm going to show you how to party!" 

***

                Koenma was in a panic. Heck, the entire palace was in a panic. Workers were running with piles of books in their arms. Papers floated around in the air and fluttered along the floor. Shouts became louder and louder as everyone cried to communicate over the others while others typed furiously at computers through all sorts of data banks and records. 

                "Botan! Botan where are you?!" He shouted. 

                "You called Koenma sir?" She yelled in reply over the noise. "What in the world is going on?!"  

                "Find Yusuke and the others immediately!" He yelled. "This is an emergency!"

                "What is an emergency?"

                "**_She _**has escaped!"   

***

                A bottle of wine sat on the desk beside a pair of crystal wine glasses, the rims accented with gold. The young woman glared as the man who had freed her poured a glass of wine for her. It wasn't like she could drink it with her mouth sewn shut. 

                "You're wondering why I brought you here," he said, it wasn't a question, it was a statement. "I have a small problem. You probably haven't heard, but rumors of a boy named Yusuke Urameshi have been circulating around spirit world. This however, has gotten some of my…clients…a little concerned," he paused. "What do you have to do with it you ask? There is someone who has been working alongside Mr. Urameshi that you might be interested in." 

                The woman looked up. Images rushed through her mind. Silver hair, beautiful gold eyes, an indifferent attitude and voice that still sent shivers down her spine. Oh how she hated him. He had left her behind to be captured. It was all because of him that King Yama and the others dragged her off kicking and struggling. It was because of him that they punished her with having her spend the rest of her life in the tower with her lips sewn shut. She'd kill him; she'd rip his head from his neck and crush his skull in her hands!  

                "You know who I'm talking about don't you?" He continued grinning. "That's right, he has been helping Mr. Urameshi, the same one who betrayed you 387 years ago. If you agree to help me, I can cut the threads and release your power." 

                She sat there, looking down at her hands that were folded in her lap. There were still marks on her wrists from where the shackles had cut into her skin. A final image flashed through her mind. She nodded and held perfectly still as he pulled out a knife from his desk drawer and cut away at the threads. Ignoring the pain, she pulled the threads from the holes above and below her lips. Grabbing the wine glass from the desk, she closed her eyes thoughtfully as the garnet liquid poured into her mouth. It had been so long since she had been given anything aside from water or vinegar. 

                "Who are you?" she whispered, her voice slowly coming back to her. "I would like to know who to thank once I obtain my revenge." 

                "Yukio. I am Yukio Kurmori. And you, my dear, shall from here on be know as Meibatsu."


	3. Chapter 3

Empty pizza boxes were stacked all over the floor and soda cans on the counter. Bowls of chips, pretzels, and candy wrappers were piling up on the dining room table. The song, "Releasing the Demons," (by Godsmack) blared from the stereo speakers. Dragging an angry Wanda and embarrassed Keiko to their feet, Tabitha and Rogue danced around the living room, smiling as their feet pounded and hips swung to the beat of the music.  

Kuwabara and Yusuke sat alone on the floor having a soda-drinking contest. It eventually got Tabitha's' attention and she rushed over and began to endlessly chant for Kuwabara. 

"Go! Go! Go! Ku-wa-ba-ra! Ku-wa-ba-ra!" She cheered, handing him another can of coca-cola. Yusuke looked over and glared. How come no one was cheering for him?

***

The black silk Chinese style top was very supple and easy to move in. White cuffs and collar was an interesting contrast to the rest of the outfit and her hair and eye color. Of course, that really didn't matter much to her, as long as she was able to move quickly, just as she could those many years ago. 

Flipping through the memories of that once happy and exciting time, she remembered the raids she would go on, all the things she used to steal just for the thrill of the hunt. If anyone ever stole from her, she'd go and steal it right back. Meibatsu had a partner at one point too. They had been friends and secretly, she loved him dearly. Never did she ever think that it would be him that would betray her. That day, everything, everyone, the pain and fear, it was all horribly burned into her mind. 

That bastard! He had left her to die. When King Yama and the others caught her, she had kicked and tried desperately to scream but Yama had been thorough and had her gagged.  She remembered the way the cold iron chains and cuffs had cut into her pale wrists and ankles. Her feet dragged on the floor since the chains were heavy and she couldn't lift her feet off the ground to walk. Being tossed onto the ground, she looked up at King Yama, her lavender eyes flaring with hatred and fear, she had heard of this mans reputation and she could only have nightmares of what he could do to her. But even her nightmares seemed tame compared to what he did. The pain was excruciating and she knew well that the scars would never leave. 

***

Stretching his arms toward the sky, Yusuke grinned. That party had been quite a lot of fun although he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something different about those girls. What ever it was, he didn't know but their spirit energy seemed different. And he was sure that he had seen Rogue and Wanda somewhere before, on the news, he thought. Why? He just couldn't remember why but it had been a big deal, he could at least remember that much. 

"Those three sure are…interesting aren't they?" Keiko said smiling. 

"Yep, but hey these next three months might be more exciting—"

"Yusuke! Oh Yusuke!" A voiced yelled from above. Almost dive bombing down to the ground, Botan stood in front of him, her skin paled and her eyes shining in panic. 

"Botan? What's going on?"

"I don't have time to explain it, I'm afraid!" she said. "You and Kuwabara have to come to spirit world, quickly!" 

   The two of them, Yusuke and Kuwabara exchanged glances. They had seen times when Botan panicked, but they had never seen her like this. She was so pale, and she couldn't seem to hold still from anxiety. Her eyes were darting in every direction, as if whatever this new threat was, could be standing directly behind her.  Maybe it was best that they partied like that. Maybe it would be the last time they'd get the chance. 

***

"Meibatsu!" Yukio shouted bursting into her room. She sat calmly in front of a vanity mirror, her hair tied back and her face painted in the way of the geisha. Turning to face her benefactor, her eyes narrowed to glare at him. She hated being interrupted while thinking.  

"Spirit World has become aware of your escape. However, I have opened a door way into the living world,"

"Then I suppose," Meibatsu began with a grin. "I should leave them my calling card."

***

Flopping down onto the beds, in the bedroom they shared, Tabitha, Rogue, and Wanda smiled. Today had been a good one. Maybe this whole trip to Japan thing might not be so bad. After all, Yusuke and the others seemed all right, and they didn't appear to know anything about mutants. That was the best part. It felt good to be accepted into a high school after being shunned by everyone in Bayville, heck, everyone in US probably hated them now. 

Sighing heavily, Rogue opened her textbook and began silently reading. It felt so good to be able to read without having to listen to Kitty's marathon phone calls. The girl said, "like" nearly every other word and it had nearly driven her to the edge on more then one occasion. Besides, now, they were all as far away from Magneto as humanly possible. No fighting Magneto (_Or that damn Cajun!_ Rogue thought to herself), no Logan sessions, and no Brotherhood boys. Yeah, for now, life was good. If only they had more extensive knowledge on the Japanese language. It would've made their classes easier. Maybe she just should've absorbed that jerk that was hitting on her at lunch. 

"I'm gonna go take a shower okay?" Tabitha said getting up. 

"Did we really need to know that?" replied Wanda looking up from her book on the Black Death. 

"No, but the silence was starting to bug me. That party got me all hyped up!"

"Ya know, for some reason…Ah don't care!" Rogue shouted irritably. The sound of breaking glass down the streets made them all look up in alarm. 

"Whoa! Nice one Rogue!" Tabitha teased. 

"Sugah, that wasn't me…"Rogue replied. "Whatevah that was, it sure as hell wasn't human."

***

Koenma paced back and forth in his office in panic. Leaning leisurely against his desk, Kurama stared down at the floor his green eyes glazed over in thought. In the back corner, standing in the shadow of the bookcase stood Hiei, his usual scowl on his face and fists clenched at his sides. Standing here waiting for Urameshi was not his idea of taking action. 

"Okay, Botan won't tell us, so you tell us Koenma, what the hell is going on here?" Yusuke demanded. 

"Oh, Yusuke, thank goodness Botan found you so quickly!" Koenma replied. Sitting into his chair and typing on the keyboard, a picture of a tall stone tower appeared on the screen behind him. "This is Spirit World's highest security tower. As of this year, there was only one prisoner held within, unfortunately, she was put there hundreds of years ago and any information we may have had has been lost. She was one of the most famous thieves Spirit World has ever seen."

"But why was she thrown in there if she's just some common thief?" Kuwabara asked confused. 

"It was her power that made her dangerous," Koenma replied. A tape clip rolled and they all watched as another stone building appeared on the screen. Everything seemed all right but then, it all suddenly crumbled away and fell into massive crevices in the ground. "The entire attack took 18 minutes."

"What kind of powers are we talking here?! If whoever this guy is did that in 18 minutes, what chance to we have?!" shouted Kuwabara.  

"For one thing, this isn't a guy, it's a woman, and with her screams, she's able to create a strange kind of sound wave that will destroy everything within ear shot. Because of her power, when she was captured 387 years ago, it was ordered that her lips be sewn shut and that she remained chained in the tower."

"Koenma sir! The girl's escaped into the living world!" 

_Keiko!_ Yusuke thought suddenly. This wasn't good, if there was something that he had learned since becoming a spirit detective, it was that wherever he managed to get into Spirit World, it was where other's managed to escape. 

"Some one has already engaged her in battle!" 

"What?! Who?" Koenma replied. 

"We're not sure, we have no names, no photos, profiles, we don't even have a definite race!"

"Bring it up on Living World surveillance! NOW!" he demanded. The screen glowed and everyone looked at the occurring battle in shock. They watched as the demon woman flew over the roads, the glass windows of the business buildings shattered and fell into the roads. Tires burst and the cars skidded off onto the sidewalks, some crashing into the streetlights. Not far behind her, flew another woman. Dressed in black leather pants, halter top, and a brown leather coat and black gloves. Sunglasses covered her eyes and her pale skin was cut in a few places and the blood streamed down her cheek. Her brown hair was streaked with white. 

"No way!" Yusuke exclaimed in shock. "Rogue?!"  

Author's Note: Yes that's right, I've decided to give Rogue some of her other powers that she had in the comic book. However, I'm not going to give her the super strength or invulnerability that she has. Power like that is just too much so I'm only going to give her flight and absorption. 


	4. Chapter 4

                By the time it came to go to school tomorrow morning, Rogue would have a lot of explaining to do as to why her arms and face were so cut up. Whoever this person was, she didn't care but she had every intent on taking them down before someone saw her. Of course, that would've been easier (and less painful) if she had snuck her X-men uniform into her suitcase. Although, she had to admit that her old uniform from the Bayville Sirens was a lot cooler and allowed for better movement then her black and green cat suit. 

                Following below, the tires protected by a dim blue light, Tabitha and Wanda weren't far behind. Tabitha was dressed in her old Sirens uniform too while Wanda was clad in the blood red costume of the Scarlet Witch. 

                The car they were driving was stolen, but that wasn't the problem (neither was Tabitha's driving though Wanda would beg to go against that statement). Trying to navigate the car through the people and crashed cars was a problem. Oh, it would've been so much easier if Kitty had come with them! They could've just phased through all the obstacles instead of going around. 

***

                Yusuke and the others looked on in stunned surprise. They had never seen anyone do this sort of thing before. 

                "I don't believe it!" Kuwabara shouted. "Those girls…they're…they're mutants!"

                "I wondered why their spirit energy felt different," Yusuke added.

                "Excuse my asking," Botan began, "what's a mutant?"

                "They're kind of like a new species of humans," replied Yusuke, "I don't know the whole story on them but I heard that there's something different in their DNA that gives them power, I think their calling it the 'X-gene'" 

                Koenma sat at his desk watching the scene of the battle unfold. Never had he thought that the humans would be able to gain power like this. It was incredible! Though it was against his better judgment, he wondered if he would be able to get them to join Yusuke and the others in recapturing the escaped demon. It was risky, very risky, and since Yusuke and Kuwabara seemed to know them, they might not like the idea of pulling them into their mission. 

***

                "Boom Boom!" Rogue called over the communicator, "Ah can't do this forever, we gotta taker 'er out quick and quiet!" 

                "Well, what do you want us to do?" Tabitha replied. "We can't fly like you can!"

                "Have Scarlet Witch hex bolt her, at least long enough for me to absorb this girls powers!"

                Rolling the window down, Wanda stuck her head and entire torso out the window, holding tight to the roof of the car with her left hand, her right glowing with blue light. Sparks of power snapped and cracked between her fingers as she took careful aim. Rogue and that other woman were moving so fast! It was hard to follow them. 

                "Rogue! Get outta the way!" Tabitha shouted. A beam of blue shot past her, hitting the other woman in the back. Like a shadow, it quickly engulfed her and Meibatsu's hands went to her throat. She couldn't yell, and without the sonic waves keeping her in the air…

***

                All eyes were wide as they watched Meibatsu plummet to the ground, Rogue dive bombing after her. Out of nowhere, the car skidded to a stop and countless orbs of gold shot from Boom Boom's hands, exploding on contact with the falling demon. 

                "Such great power!" Kurama stated, "They've taken her as easily as if they have done it their entire lives!"

                "I have to admit, that one girl's flight speed was impressive" Hiei said. He got a surprised glace from Yusuke and Kuwabara. It took a lot to impress Hiei. 

                Just as the demon was about to hit the glass covered ground, Wanda's hex bolt slowed her to a sudden halt in her fall, a mere two feet from the ground. Rogue touched down and quickly rushed forward, throwing her black gloves to the side. Frozen where she standing, Rogue's hands touched her face. Freeing herself from Wanda's powers, she shoved Rogue aside and wobbled to her feet, weak from the power drain. With a last ear piercing scream, she shot off into the night sky. 

***

                Tears ran down her face as Rogue's mind replayed Meibatsu's memories. The pain, the struggling, the incontrollable longing to kill the one who had betrayed her, all of it filled her. 

                "Rogue? Rogue are you okay?" Tabitha said running to her. 

                "Dark…it's so dark…oh mah gawd!" Rogue whispered painfully. 

                "Come on, let's get out of here before we get caught!" Wanda snapped. Helping Rogue to her feet, the three of them piled into the car, and sped off. 

                Author's Note: Um…ordinarily I would have something to say…but this time I don't so I'll just thank all you nice people who reviewed. 


	5. Chapter 5

            Beads of sweat poured down her face and her head whipped from side to side. Groaning and yelling, Rogue kicked the off the blankets and her body shook. Tabitha had run down to the kitchen for a bowl of cold water while Wanda did what she could to restrain the struggling mutant. 

                "Rogue! Stop it! Rogue it's okay! It's just in your head, wake up!" Wanda shouted. 

                "No! Please no! Let meh out! Ah don't belong here! Get meh out!" she shouted, tears running down her face. 

                Down in the kitchen, Tabitha searched as fast as could through the drawers and shelves for a bowl. She could hear Rogue yelling and screaming and Wanda's failing attempts to get her to wake up. Amara had told her that this had happened once before while she was away. All of the people she had ever absorbed had tried to take control of her body and that alone was difficult battle. Afterward, Rogue had been in a coma for hours. Of course, they had never thought that just one touch would trigger that all over again. 

                Grabbing a bowl from one of the shelves below, she turned on the faucet and let the freezing water pour into it. Hearing another agonized scream from upstairs, this was definitely one of those times she was glad they didn't have any neighbors. 

***

                A stunned silence had fallen over the group of humans and demons. They wondered what had happened to Rogue and the demon woman. They had seen bright flashes of light, then the demon flew off, obviously weakened by whatever power Rogue had. Then Rogue fell to her knees and Tabitha and Wanda (Yusuke had identified them) helped her to her feet and quickly left. 

                "That was interesting," Kurama said clearing his throat. 

                "Hm. Yusuke, how well do you know those girls?" Koenma asked turning away. 

                "Not very well, they just transferred into our school today. Why?"

                "Well…I may be asking a lot from you, but do you think you could talk them into helping you on this next assignment?"

                "Are you crazy?!" Kuwabara shouted. "They just got here and now you wanna drag them into this?"

                "Their skills may be of use to us! And the faster we get that demon back, the safer the living world will be" Koenma replied calmly, trying to reason with him.

                "Are you saying that we don't have a choice?!" 

                "It's good to know that you understand the magnitude of importance of this assignment."

                "You can't be serious," Hiei muttered from his secluded corner. "It's bad enough that you make us baby sit Kuwabara and Yusuke but I refuse to baby sit a group of girls." 

                "If we here at Spirit World didn't know about the existence of mutants, chances are your new adversary doesn't know either," Turning to face the small group, Koenma continued. "I want all of you to pay your new teammates a visit."

                Walking back to the new girls' home, Kurama and Hiei following behind, Yusuke couldn't help but feel a little guilty about what was going on. Sure, this would be a great chance to get to know the third race better, but given the circumstances, he wished that there were a better way. Besides, to him, this almost sounded as if they were using them solely for their powers. And judging by the way Wanda and Rogue kept people at arms length, they had seen enough pain to last them a lifetime. 

***

                Downstairs in the living room, Tabitha typed on the laptop that Rogue had brought with them. Even though they just could've called the mansion, she wasn't so sure about the time difference between them so that wasn't such a great idea. At least the house had a phone line so they could e-mail Xavier. 

                Eventually, just seconds after hitting the send button, the sound of the doorbell rang through her ears. Slowing lifting herself from the plush couch, she muttered quietly to herself. It was late and Wanda was having trouble keeping Rogue under control while she stayed in her fitful sleep. Jeez, it was really starting to tick her off. People really seemed to have a knack for coming over at the most inconvient times. 

                "What?!" she shouted slamming the door open. Pausing in embarrassment, Tabitha looked over the faces that she didn't recognize. One of them had red hair and emerald green eyes dressed in a red school uniform. The other was kinda short, and black hair was spiked and the only bit of clothing that wasn't black was the turtleneck. She was tempted to laugh at that…they were like the counter parts to Rogue and Wanda. 

                "Uh…is there a problem Urameshi? I mean this really isn't a good time for you to be over here and if this is about the school work then you're definitely at the wrong house," she said calmly. 

                "Tabitha, we need to talk," Yusuke replied.

                "Talk? Is that all? Well then we'll talk at lunch tomorrow!" 

                "No, Tabitha, you don't get it, see, we know about –" 

                "AAAAAHHHH!" The scream echoed through the entire house. Yusuke tried to see what was going on behind Tabitha but she kept stepping in the direction that he tried to look in. 

                "Tabitha! Get up here!" Wanda shouted from upstairs. 

                "All right! Urameshi please, whatever this is, can it wait?"

                "No, I don't think it can."

                "Well…just get in here and sit down in the living room."

***

                "Meibatsu, welcome back," Yukio said smugly, "did you enjoy your little trip?"

                "Be silent," she hissed in reply. "Were you the one who sent those three demons after me? As a test to be sure I was strong enough?"

                "I can assure you that I had no part in that."

                "Humph…right."   

***

                Tabitha had rushed into the room to see that Rogue had finally snapped out of it. Jeez, with the way Wanda had yelled, she was sure that Rogue had kicked the bucket or something. And that would've sucked since they would have had a lot of explaining to do as to why their mansion reeked of dead flesh. Then when the three months were over and they went back home, they would have to run like hell from the fury of the over protective Wolverine. Ugh, it sent shivers down their spines to think about that. 

                After quickly changing out of her Bayville Sirens uniform and back into her usual cloths, Rogue wobbled downstairs to the living room where everyone sat, Wanda holding out a cup of herbal tea. 

                There was an extremely uneasy silence, as it was obvious that Yusuke, Kuwabara, and the others Wanda and Rogue didn't recognize, did recognize the cuts on her arms and face. There was then a short exchange of names and then things went from about square one to square ten. 

                "So, this Koenma person," Wanda said. "He wants us to help you, and you're here to sort of recruit us?"

                "In a way I suppose, it depends on how you look at it," Kurama replied coolly. Wanda flushed a little as she did her best not to stare. But good lord, the boy was suave! She loved that in a man. "I apologize if this seems like we're not giving you a choice because we are. You don't have to help us if you don't want to."

                "The demon we fought a little while ago, Ah got a dose of memories, ya'll can use the information if ya want," Rogue said looking at the group seriously. "Her name is Meibatsu, or at least that's what Yukio Kuromori calls her. Yukio was the guy who freed her from prison, and apparently she wants revenge against one o' ya."

                "Who?" Yusuke asked. 

                "How should Ah know? Her memories don't go back that far. Sorry sugah."

                "You said that you now have her memories, how is this possible?" Kurama said. Pulling off one of her gloves, Rogue held out her hand to Hiei and he looked at her questioningly. 

                "If Ah were to touch ya right now, Ah would absorb your life force, your memories, and your power with the added bonus of puttin' ya into a coma."

                "Interesting," Hiei replied intrigued. But looking up at her, he could see how sad she was. For whatever reason, he felt a bit moved. He had never been moved by anyone else's sadness and pain. It was an odd sensation. But returning to reality, he pushed the thought aside and began to grow impatient and bored. This was getting them nowhere.   

                "Well what are we just sitting here for?" Tabitha said standing, "Let's go! You wanted help from the Sirens, you got help from the Sirens."

                "Ya got code names for each other?" Rogue asked. 

                "No why?"

                "We usually use code names. Since the discovery of mutants, it's safer that way," explained Wanda. "If were didn't use them then the government could easily track us down and that would be very dangerous."

                "Alright, we'll use them" Hiei grumbled impatiently. "Just tell us what they are."

                "Boom-Boom"

                "Scarlet Witch"

                "Rogue" 

                "All right then, on to spirit world!" Yusuke said confidently. 

Author's Note: Hey there everyone, are you glad that I've finally gotten to the action of the story? I hope so because I was beginning to worry that I would never get to it. 


	6. Chapter 6

                The anti-bacterial spray stung like hell and they had nearly run out of bandages by the time that Rogue had finished dressing her wounds. Still, the fact that she was hurt was obvious, the blood was leaking through the gauze. Lucky for her nothing was broken.

                As soon as they regrouped in the park, they waited patiently for Botan to take them to Spirit World. While they waited, Rogue began to realize that it might not be the best course of action if all of them left for Spirit World. 

                "Scarlet Witch, Ah was just thinking. If we split into groups we might have a better shot at finding Meibatsu," Rogue said thoughtfully. "For all we know, she could still be here in the Living World!"

                "You've got a point," she replied. "If we split according to power, it would be safer."

                "Yeah, like you and Kurama could check out the tower she escaped from, Boom-Boom, Yusuke and Kuwabara could talk to Koenma, and unfortunately, Ah could go with Hiei to make sure she ain't still here,"

                "That isn't such a bad idea," Kurama agreed. He had been listening in on their conversation and planning. Actually, he was rather surprised that they had been able to come up with a plan that made sense. If he were just going by first impressions, he never would've pegged them as the planning type. 

                "You gotta be kidding! Rogue! I hate studying!" Boom-boom whined.  

                "Ya'll best be quiet, sugah, or Ah'll smack ya so hard Kuwabara will feel it!"

                "Then why don't you just hit him?"

                "Yeah…say what?!" Kuwabara shouted offended. 

                "Gawd ya're slow!" 

                "I've been telling him that since the day we first met," Hiei snickered. 

            "Ah, hello there!" Botan called from above. Rogue shuddered; she hated people that were overly cheerful. It was just one of a few reasons she was glad the mansion was destroyed. When it had been rebuilt, they had all been given their own rooms and Rogue was very happy that she didn't have to share with Kitty anymore. Her marathon phone calls, pop music, and girlie magazines had made Rogue consider jumping off the cliffs behind the mansion on more then one occasion. 

                While taking a look at the blue haired, purpled eyed girl, she felt a little home sick. Botan looked surprisingly similar to Kitty. Freaky. 

                "There has been a change of plans, I apologize if this is inconvenient," Kurama said stepping forward. "Rogue and Scarlet Witch have come up with a rather appealing plan. We're splitting according to power, Boom-Boom, Yusuke, and Kuwabara will be going with you to see Koenma. Rogue and Hiei, being the fastest, will scout the area to be sure that Meibatsu still isn't around and I, accompanied by Scarlet Witch, will go to the security tower."

                "What? I never agreed to such an arrangement!" Hiei shouted indignantly. 

                "My, what a wonderful idea!" Botan cheered clapping her hands. "Besides, Koenma is very busy and three of you is plenty." 

                "All right then, we got a plan. Scarlet Witch, Boom-Boom, take these," Rogue said holding two devices to them. They looked like the headphones that hooked around the ear with a small microphone set close to their mouths. 

                "Ever since that incident when Nightcrawler got caught in another dimension, Forge has been workin' on these little babies. They're inter-dimensional communicators, in case something goes wrong or ya find out something important," 

                "Cool, do these have long distance calling?" Boom-Boom asked grinning. Rogue scowled angrily, and she quickly recoiled, laughing in embarrassment. 

Author's Note: Sorry this chapter was so short. 


	7. Chapter 7

            The red duster Wanda wore gently brushed over the ground as she and Kurama headed toward the tower Meibatsu was locked in. While on the way, he had told her the story of what had happened to her, or at least what Koenma had told him, which needless to say wasn't much. 

                It was strange, but Wanda felt like she was fighting herself. Meibatsu and she had both been betrayed and locked way for many years. Funny, they got out the same way too. When the amount of security was lessened, someone had come in and taken them. Fighting against ones self was weird. She was definitely still crazy. 

                Scarlet Witch was such a strange girl. Kurama had tried numerous times to strike up a conversation while they continued their walk, but he could never seem to keep one going for very long. Whenever he would ask her questions, the answers were always very short and most of the time vague. When he asked about her family and past, she had stopped in mid-stride and glared at him. 

                "To cling to the past is to fear the future, and believe me, I'm not afraid," that's all that she said to him. Neither of them had said a word since.  That was twenty minutes ago. 

                "Your power, what is it?" He asked, breaking the silence. 

                "Mystique and my father called it 'chaos magic'. I can create hex fields and control anything within them," she replied bluntly. 

                "Then you're quite powerful I'm sure."

                "Yeah, I guess so."

                "Do you and the others work together like this often?"

                "No, we're on rivaling teams. What is this, twenty questions?"

                "Sorry, I just wanted to get to know you better since we'll be working together, that's all."

                "…Do you think Rogue and Hiei have killed each other yet?" Wanda asked laughing.

                "To be perfectly honest with you, I wouldn't be that surprised."

                Time passed quicker then they thought, as soon they fell beneath the shadow of the tower. The smell was unbearable and Wanda had thrown up by the time they reached the stairs. Using a mild hex bolt, she slammed the door open and they stepped inside. 

                Climbing up the dark stairwell, only occasionally coming across a window, Wanda whimpered as she hugged herself. This place was so similar to the asylum that her father had left her in. She was seven! Of course she didn't know how to control her anger or power! He didn't have to lie then leave her there. It wasn't fair. 

                Hearing her whimper, Kurama had looked at her a little worried. She had her arms crossed over her chest and her hands gripped her upper arms. Apparently, she could feel him staring at her, and turned her head to scowl at him. Then she had started walking faster until she was almost running up the stairs. 

                Eventually, feet and knees beginning to ache, they reached the top of the stairs, and Wanda had already opened the door. Stepping into the room, they coughed on the massive clouds of dust. There was like, three inches of it on the wooden floor. They took their time looking around, their eyes scanning over everything in the room in search of any sort of clue. With each step they took, the floorboards creaked and whined.

                Despite the torchlight that was provided by the guards at the front gate, it was still very dark. Looking up above, they took note that the ceiling wasn't at all damaged. Apparently, Meibatsu was still not able to use her power to propel herself in flight. 

                While checking in the back of the room, Wanda came across the chains and shackles and shuddered. 

                "At least when I was locked up, they had the decency to give me a window," she muttered hatefully. 

                On the other side of the cell, Kurama had heard what she had said. No wonder she didn't want to talk about it when they were walking. He suddenly felt a little guilty for asking. Though he wanted to apologize to her, for some reason, his head told him to keep quiet…for the moment. 

***

                Sitting alone in her room, Meibatsu reapplied her make-up and shook her head. Everything was still a little hazy. Whatever that girl did to her, it wouldn't be happening again. She had destroyed the street lights, so she hadn't been able to get a look at the girl's face but still, if she was helping Urameshi, she would have to go down like the others would. 

                Opening her top drawer, she pulled out a small wooden box. Lifting the lid, she stared down hatefully at the threads and needle that sat at the bottom of the box. Her fingertips traced the outline of her lips. She knew that the scars were still there but that wasn't her concern at the moment. Along with the thread and needle, were a few strands of silvery hair. 

                It was so strange, she wanted to both kill him and kiss him at the same time. Which one? Meibatsu really wasn't that sure. Perhaps she'd do both just out of spite.  

***

                The leaves shook and whistled as two dark figures rushed past, one in the air, and the other on foot. The occasional passer-by didn't see or just thought that it was the wind. Besides, they kept within the branches just for that reason. 

                As much as Hiei liked being away from that dim wit Kuwabara, Rogue was hardly better company. She was brash, emotionally irate, and just too similar in personality to him that it caused them to constantly argue. For the moment, she was keeping quiet; that was refreshing but irritating since he could still feel her loathing and discomfort with being teamed up with him even though it was her idea. 

                Hiei had no idea how long they had being running for, but they had since left the city and were checking out the land around it, moving in an outward spiral. Still, even though they weren't speaking to each other (the effect of a previous, trivial argument), he had to wonder about this girl. With power like hers, how could he trust her? For all he knew, she could swoop down, steal his memory and power, and then betray the rest of the group. Besides, wasn't it convenient that they should just suddenly show up at the same time as the jailbreak? If there was one thing he learned, it was that most things were never as they seemed. 

                The sunlight burned the eyes, and Rogue, smirking smugly, lowered her sunglasses to shield her eyes. Looking down below, she could easily see Hiei rush through the tree branches. He didn't trust her though she figured that he had every right to, after all, he had just learned that there was another race aside from just humans and demons. It was natural that he should be wary of her, like the people in Bayville were. Then again, she hoped he wouldn't do what they did, attacking Evan and Morlocks like they did. 

                For some reason, she didn't care about that anymore. The sun was so warm on her skin, and the breeze was wonderful. Blue skies stretched for as far as the eye could see and the clouds lazily floated passed. There was a lake down below that glittered like liquid sapphires. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Sighing heavily, she flew lower to the trees, hoping that Hiei had found something. 

                "Hey, Hiei…" She trailed off, as he turned to meet her gaze. His eyes, they were red like Gambit's but were so sad. Like he was holding in some secret pains of his own. She had no idea why, but she suddenly felt sad or lonely or something. Like someone had suddenly started choking her and she couldn't breathe. 

                "What? Is there something on my face or have you found something?"

                "No and no"

                "Then why on Earth do you keep staring at me for? Oh, I see, I remind you of someone"

                "How did you…?"

                "Telepathic."

                "Just who gave ya permission to go inside mah head?!"

                "I did!"

                "Just shut up will ya?!"

                "Or what? You'll use your powers to throw me into a permanent coma like what you did to Cody?"

                Time just seemed to freeze. There wasn't a single thing moving, there wasn't a sound. Rogue had suddenly stopped, falling the ten feet or so to the ground. She had lost her concentration that allowed her to fly. Jumping down from the branches, Hiei stood away from her, a stoic expression on his face as he looked at the emotionally crumbling Rogue. She knelt on the ground, gazing at him like a deer in headlights, desperately trying to mask the small tears that welled in her eyes.  Lowering her head in self-hatred, she wiped away the tear that ran down her cheek. When she returned his gaze, her eyes were narrowed and anger like he had never seen flared within them. 

                He was taken completely by surprise. Rogue had launched herself at him so quickly that he hadn't had time to react. Wincing a bit in pain, his back was slammed into the trunk of a nearby tree. 

                "What's the matter? Did I strike a nerve?" he growled, refusing to back down. 

                "…Shut…up" she hissed in reply. Her hands trembled as they gripped his shirt. "GO TO HELL!!" she cried. 

                Without another word, she shot off; up into the sky until she was above the clouds where he could no longer see her.  

***

Yukio set the phone receiver down and smirked. It had always been so incredibly simple to manipulate those who wanted revenge. After all, that was all they thought about, they didn't care at all about what they had to do to get it as long as they got it in the end. Meibatsu wasn't at all different from the others. Well, she was a demon, so yes, that was different, but the vengeful mentality was the same. 

                They say that hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn. Ah, so true to life, that phrase. With all of the scorn Meibatsu held bottled up within herself, she would be able to finish this little task with just enough time to tell her that he used her and then kill her. 

                There's a thought! He could wrap her up, like a Christmas gift and give her back to Spirit world. Wouldn't that be entertaining? 

***

                "So bored…" WHAM! "Can't focus."

                "You know, you shouldn't slam your head against the table like that," said Yusuke as he flipped through one of the books Koenma had given them. "You're killing brain cells when you do that."

                "What brain cells?" Kuwabara grumbled from the other side of the table. He still wasn't over her last smart remark. 

                It had been an hour and twenty paper cuts since they had started looking through the library. Books were stacked up all over the place that they were beginning to have trouble remembering which ones they had already read. Koenma had told them that they would be unable to find anything, but still, it was worth a try. Though they couldn't find anything on her specifically, they had found a few things about her life and history. 

                "OUCH!" Tabitha yelled waving her hand around in the air. Her fingers looked like they had gotten caught in a blender already. Whimpering pitifully, she reached for the industrial sized box of band-aids. 

                Yusuke grinned. Though he hated what Rogue assigned them to do, it wasn't so bad. In fact, if it wasn't for the headache and paper cuts, he could say that this was almost pleasant. Tabitha and Kuwabara's quarrels were the perfect comic relief and her cheery personality gave the dusty room a good working atmosphere. Besides, for all of her hatred of studying, she was the one who always managed to find bits and pieces of information about the race of demons that Meibatsu hailed from. 

                Climbing up onto the ladder, Tabitha ran her fingers along the bindings of the books, trying (most of the time in vain) to translate what the characters were in English. Although, this was great practice for her so that she wouldn't struggle so much if they ever got back to school, being her usual, short attention span given self, it was starting to get annoying. 

                "Hey, I think I found something!" Kuwabara proclaimed proudly. Yusuke and Tabitha went around the table to look over his shoulder. "I can't read the writing but look at the picture," he said pointing. 

                The picture was of a woman. Her hair was long and glistened like her eyes.

                "That looks like the demon who attacked us!" Tabitha said. 

 Pulling out an Invader Zim book bag, Tabitha took out a stick of gum and stuck it in, as a bookmark. She did this to a couple of the other books and then stuck them all into the bag. 

                "It's Sunday, remember? We have school tomorrow, besides, Wanda can read these symbols."

                "All right, oh yeah, you remember our bet, right Urameshi?" Kuwabara grinned. 

                "Yep, if Hiei and Rogue have beaten the crud outta each other, I owe you 500 yen!"

Author's Note: Wow! This was such a long chapter! Well…long compared to the others. See ya next chapter. 


	8. Chapter 8

            They had all gotten back to the house and were discussing anything that they had found. However, Hiei and Rogue had yet to return. Without them around, there seemed to be an odd sense of anticipation floating in the room. Actually, they were beginning to get worried. Kurama and Wanda knew well that the two of them were short tempered and dealt with their anger violently. 

                Three hours past and it was already eight 'o clock. Yusuke and the others refused to leave until Hiei and Rogue got back. Who would've thought that they would've had to wait for that long? Yusuke, and Kuwabara had had to call their parents to tell them some excuse as to why they weren't home yet. Truth be told, Kuwabara's sister Shizuru couldn't care less and Yusuke's mother couldn't be reached. 

                "Must be out drinking again," he muttered. 

                Another hour past, and just as Wanda was standing up from the dinner table to go and look for them, the door opened with a slam and Rogue quickly flew passed up into her room. The sound of the running water in the shower came from upstairs. Not even three minutes later, Hiei burst in as well. Sitting down beside Kurama in a huff, Tabitha, a little nervous around the angry demon, set out a plate of macaroni and cheese in front of him (no one really knew how to cook anything other then that). 

                The hot water felt good against the skin from flying around in the cold evening air.

                That jerk! She couldn't believe that he had the nerve to run around in her thoughts and to bring up something that she would've liked to forget. Even for a demon that was low. Besides, Cody wasn't in a coma anymore…he died about seven months ago. The doctors said that in such a weakened state, he had succumbed to the flu that had been spreading that winter. 

                Hot tears began to well in her eyes and Rogue sat pitifully on the bottom of the tub, curling herself into a tiny ball. Resting her forehead on her knees, she let a few of the tears run down her cheek. Her body shook a little with every sob she unsuccessfully held back. 

                Ugh, that girl made him so angry he was surprised at his own self-restraint. As he stabbed at his "food" he could just picture Rogue being there instead of the cheese-covered noodles. 

                "Just what, may I ask, did you do Hiei?" Kurama asked sternly. Hiei looked up from his plate to glare at him. 

                "I did nothing!" he hissed. 

                "Oh yeah, you're the perfect one ain't ya? Ya ain't never in the wrong, that's Hiei for ya!" Rogue snapped. 

                "Why don't you keep your mouth shut, worthless mutant!"

                "Take that back!" Wanda shrieked, and the furniture beginning to shake. A hand fell to her shoulder. And she could feel someone's breath against her ear, and sense of calm came over her. 

                "Please, Wanda, not here," Kurama whispered. "We shouldn't interfere, this is between them."

                "I know all about how you threw that boy into a coma when you kissed him!"

                "Then ya should know that Ah didn't mean to hurt him! Ah'd like to see ya deal with that kind o' guilt!"

                "Don't lecture me!"

                "Dammit! Just shut up! Fine, rub it in, Ah don't care anymore, and while your at it, rub it in that he's dead now too! Yes, Ah'm a murderer, is that what you wanted to hear? Is it, Hiei?!"

                He looked at her, stunned into silence. She kept him trapped in a cold stare, her green eyes piercing his red ones. They were actually very beautiful. The edges were a little red, from when she had been crying. And her body was still soaking wet from her shower, droplets of water occasionally dripping from the white strands of her hair.      

"Cody's dead and it's all mah fault! There, now ya know! Just leave me alone!" 

                "Fine! Leave then, go back to the mansion you live at! Your power isn't needed here!"

                "Gawd, that's all ya care about ain't it? Mah power. You and the others are using us for our powers, just like everyone else! You're no better then mah mother! Ya know somethin'? Ya ain't any better then the humans!"

                "How dare you…!"

                "Both of you shut it!" Yusuke yelled. Everyone turned to look at him, a little surprised by the sudden out burst. But their attention soon went to the stairs, as Rogue stood and ran off back to her bedroom. 

***

                Yukio had come in earlier, with a "CD" she remembered him calling it, of opera music. While Meibatsu lay on her bed, it was rather soothing to listen to. Still, she had to smile, thinking to herself that she could sing much better then that, and do millions of dollars in damage at the same time.  

                Though she really didn't care that much, Meibatsu wondered where Yukio had gone. After being locked in that tower for so long, being alone scared her a little. Her partner never minded when she would cling to him when she was younger. But that was a long time ago. 

                Jeez, she really needed to get over him, she scolded herself. Still, despite everything that had happened to her, she still could feel her heart racing as she thought about him, about the past. He was stoic and was probably the most cutthroat demon she had never met. Everything that she had learned about the world and how to survive in it, she learned from him. She owed him everything, and anything. While they were still partners, he had often compared her to the Japanese samurai, telling her often that he was proud of her loyalty to the entire group and him. In happy reply, she would smile and blush, glad to be complimented by him. 

                But that was over now. It hurt her heart badly to know that for the sake of her honor and severely wounded pride she had to kill him, or die herself in attempt to take him down. Somewhere, deep in her mind, she still wished him happiness and peace that their lives did not provide but the hatred and loathing she held within would quickly smother that. 

                Just sitting here was doing no good. 

                This was it; she couldn't allow her open wounds to bleed anymore. Yukio wanted the death of the boy Urameshi and her former partner done quickly. And she would do it quickly. 

***

                Kurama and the others sat in silence. None of them had ever seen Rogue so angry. Occasionally, Wanda's own anger would flare up and the lights would begin to flicker, Hiei's "worthless mutant" comment still fresh in her mind.  

                "How could you Hiei?" Kurama scolded. "You should've known that that was a painful subject!"

                Hiei kept quiet, feeling a little bit guilty, for one of the first times in his life, about hurting her that way. 

                "Hm. I'm afraid that we may have over-stayed our welcome," Kurama said. Standing up, he, followed by Yusuke, Hiei, and Kuwabara, headed to the door, none of them speaking. 

                "Hiei!" Tabitha called out. "You can spend the night here if you want. The couch in the living room is pretty comfortable and we have a lot of extra blankets,"

                "Uh…thanks," he said a little unenthusiastically. He would've liked to stay elsewhere but who could refuse a free place to stay. Kurama turned and look back at him harshly. 

                "I would like you to at least consider using this time to apologize to Rogue."

                "Hn."

***

                Even though it was becoming increasingly late, Koenma and everyone else were still keeping busy, doing what they can to find any information on Meibatsu. So far, they were having the same luck as Yusuke, Tabitha, and Kuwabara. However, being able to read the text that the books were written in made it a little easier to find what bits and pieces of information they could find. 

                Criminal records, personal profiles, everything was gone. That was what was strange. Despite Koenma's lack of attention when it came to organizing, even he had enough sense to save records like those. It was as if someone had come in and stolen them without their knowing. 

***

                The tower. Yukio looked upon it, smiling wickedly. As one of his agents promised, there sat the envelope. He picked it up and torn it open. Stapled together inside, stacks of papers and computer disks of information about Meibatsu sat there. He had no intention of reading the files, it was just better that Spirit World forget anything, and everything about her. 

***

                Gawd, what was he worried about? All he had to do was go in, apologize and leave. It wasn't that hard to do! Sighing, he knocked on the door, turned the knob and walked in, quickly wishing that he could find the light-switch as his foot hit Tabitha's bedside table. 

                Rogue lay in bed, curled up beneath the covers facing the door. Her face was shadowed, since it was turned away from the window. Even through the darkness he could see her glaring at him. Oh yeah, she was still angry. 

                "Rogue, I'm here to—"

                "Apologize? Save it, Ah don't wanna hear it. Ah'm sick of everyone's excuses,"

                He could feel himself growing angry again but that would have to be set aside for the moment. Kurama said to apologize and judging by Wanda's outburst about his mutant comment, she'd slit his throat if he didn't. Not really knowing what to do, he walked over and sat on the side of the bed, his back turned to her. 

                Speaking of his back, it still stung from when she had slammed him into that tree. It seemed that it wasn't just him who needed to apologize. 

                "I'm sorry Rogue," he said quietly. Though he waited, he didn't get a reply from her. Just as he was about to open his mouth to say something, he heard Rogue moving a little. Looking over his shoulder, he almost laughed as she very un-gracefully rolled around to look at him. His gaze soon went back out the window and he watched as Yusuke and the others disappeared around the corner. His body tensed when he felt Rogue gently starting to massage circles on his back with one of her hands. 

                "About earlier," she began, "when Ah slammed ya into that tree, Ah didn't hurt ya too badly did Ah?"

                "No."

                "Good. Then we're even…Ah s'pose,"  

                They sat there in silence for a few moments more then Hiei stood up and headed toward the door. As his hand rested on the door-knob, she spoke up.  

                "Hiei!" He turned around to look at her; she was smirking. "For an insensitive jerk ya ain't so bad."

                "…Shut up." 

Author's Note: Well…I think you all can figure out who's going with who by now right? RIGHT?! My gosh you people are slow! See you next chapter! 


	9. Chapter 9

            "Ahhhh Shitake!" Tabitha yelled and she tumbled out of bed. Rushing into the bathroom, she turned on the shower. In her haste, she slipped and fell on the wet tile floor. Cursing to herself, she undressed and jumped in. 

                Rogue and Wanda looked up at the ceiling. They could hear Tabitha muttering and yelling curses to herself from the shower. Hiei just seemed to ignore it, nibbling at the breakfast Rogue had set out. Lowering the pages of the newspaper she was reading, Rogue got up from her seat to get the pieces of toast that had just popped up from the toaster. The smell of eggs and meat floated around the room. Wanda and Rogue had finally gotten themselves some decent fitting uniforms though they really couldn't say that they liked them.

                "Hey Rogue, do we have to have this top button done on the shirts? It's, making it hard to breath," Wanda said tugging at the blue material. 

                "Since when do we care about the rules sugah?"

                "Oh, good point!"

                "Why didn't you wake me up sooner?!" Tabitha yelled rushing into the room. Wanda nearly spat out her orange juice because she was laughing so hard. Even Hiei was smirking a little. 

Poor thing looked like she had fallen off a boat and had been marooned on an island for a few years. Her hair was sticking up in every direction, her face was still covered with soapsuds and her lipstick was a little smeared. The buttons on her blouse weren't done correctly and her uniform skirt had definitely seen better days. Days when people knew about and used an iron to get rid of the wrinkles.

Though they would be heading out for school soon, Wanda worked hard to try and translate the runes that the books were written in. Her head already hurt and there were bags under eyes. She had spent most of her evening in the library of their rental mansion; she had been up until two in the morning. 

***

                There were just too many people at school. It was beginning to get annoying. Rogue never did well in crowds. Flash backs of that concert she had gone to with "Risty" ran through her head and she shivered. Well, that and she worried greatly for the house. Perhaps leaving a demon with a sword in an expensive rental house probably wasn't one of her smarter moves. Sigh, just because she was such a nice person…

                The other students stared at her, probably since they couldn't believe that she had left the house without her beloved make-up. Either that or it might have been because she was wearing the boys' uniform. Tabitha had commented that it made her look like a "modern-day-take-charge-don't-sass-me-chick". 

***

                Hiei lounged on the couch in the living room, the blankets folded up, surprisingly well on the floor next to it. The only sound throughout the entire place was the steady ticking of the large clock that stood on the other side of the room. 

                He didn't know how long he had been staring at the ceiling for, but to be honest, he didn't care that much. After all, he had a lot to think about. 

                Though he wasn't at all comfortable with working with the three young women (anyone would be wary when teaming up with a newly discovered species), but he had to admit, a power such as Wanda and Rogue's could prove to be useful. Plus, it was a pain free way to gain information. And in gaining the enemies powers, it helped to even the playing field. 

                His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. Standing up, he took his time walking to the door. 

                "Hello Hiei!" Botan said cheerily. "It's a wonderful day out here in the living world now isn't it?"

                "…I'm surrounded by idiotic humans who don't realize that an escaped demon could kill them all in seconds. Oh yes, everything is very pleasant here," 

                "Uh…yes well, Koenma wanted me to come here to ask you if you had found any information on the prisoner,"

                "Her name is Meibatsu, or at least that's what she's going by now,"

                "Meibatsu? Strange choice, here in Japan, her name means 'retribution'"

                "Then Rogue wasn't lying when she said that Meibatsu has a grudge against one of us."

                "But how could she know where to find you? Someone would've had to tell her."

                "Someone did."

                "Oh! Do tell me, Hiei! We may be able to find information on that person!" 

                "According to the memories Rogue took from her, his name is Yukio Kuromori." 

***

                Aside from the sudden explosion in the computer lab (cough – Tabitha! – cough), nothing exciting had happened. Well, almost nothing. Everyone had asked Rogue about her uniform. Though she would never reveal the real reason, she just told them that she had been in an accident, that she had many scars on her body. That was also the reason she gave for why she wore so much dark make-up the other day. 

                The math problems written on the board were definitely not the top priority on any of the minds of Yusuke or the others. 

                Unlike Rogue, Tabitha, or Wanda, Yusuke and Kuwabara knew that if strong enough, Meibatsu could split the ground. The sound of crumbling buildings would cover up the sound of her screaming and they would only think of the disaster as an earthquake.  

                All of them were on edge, as if at any moment Meibatsu would storm into the class room and kill them right there in front of the students. It was like that feeling you get when you're absolutely sure that there's someone following you and yet, when you turn around, there's no one there. You find your self seemingly alone on the busy streets. Standing beneath the street lights while everyone in the city throws glances at you as if to say, "why on earth are you standing beneath the street light like an idiot? The light's green, walk already!" 

                Gazing out the window, Rogue daydreamed about things. About being back in Bayville, about going through the torture of the American public school system, about Hiei…

                Dear Lord in heaven! Where did that last one come from? If she weren't in a classroom right then, she'd get up, walk to the back wall and begin banging her head against it. It would be tedious and painful, but at least it would keep her emotionally scarring thoughts at bay. 

A sudden pain came to her. It was much worse then what she felt when she had jealously watched Jean and Scott together. No, this wasn't jealousy. Whatever it was, she didn't know, but in any case, she didn't like it. 

'C'mon girl, ya know that ya can't get close to anyone!' she mentally scolded herself. It hit her like a smack across her cheek; she knew what this feel was. Desire.  

***

The air was cold, crisp and somewhat clean. The city below bustled with people, and Meibatsu watched, somewhat intrigued by the children playing on the swings below her. She wondered about what it would've been like to grow up like they did. With a real family, a real mother and father, not just a group of thieves who called themselves her family. 

Her sensitive ears picked up the sound of a giggling girl and her mother. Looking down at them, the cold sting of jealousy struck, along with the horrid feeling of abandonment. 

Her fingernails dug into her palm as her hands became fists. 

Standing strait atop the tree branch, on the tip of the hills, she closed her eyes, drew in a deep breath…and screamed. 

***

The ground quaked, and the dishes on their shelves shook at the sudden tremor. The windows shook in their panes and Hiei and Botan looked up from their stack of papers, files, and books. Grabbing the oar that leaned against the wall, the two rushed out of the home and took to the sky. 

"It's her, I can sense her energy from here…ugh, that noise! Make it stop!" Botan cried. 

"Concentrate you fool!" Hiei shouted. 

"I'm trying to but…that noise…!" 

***

Wanda took in a sharp breath as a chill ran up her spine. The next moment, the entire class ducked beneath their desks to take cover from the shower of glass. The teacher ordered the class to evacuate, and seizing her chance, signaling Rogue who hovered outside the window, and jumped, grabbing onto Rogue's wrist for dear life. Tabitha, clinging to Rogue's other wrist, was pale and looked like she was about to puke. Apparently, she had to jump from the windows too. 

"I've heard of leaps of faith but this is crazy!" she shouted looking down below as the buildings and people became smaller. Changing into their uniforms this time was definitely not an option. They just had to pray to God that no one would recognize them. 

Author's Note: Hey there, just wanted to say thank you to all of you who reviewed. And for the person who said that they wanted Kitty (a.k.a. Shadowcat) in the story, I'm really sorry. But, even though I haven't even gotten into the climax fight yet, I've already got an idea for a sequel that will involve everyone in the X-men, Touya too! Bye-bye for now! 


	10. Chapter 10

            People rushed this way and that. There was yelling and screaming as the police and fire departments did what they could to calm the people down as the "earthquake" continued on. Some of the smaller homes and business buildings had already started to fall. Everyone was so panicked that they didn't bother to look up to notice the three young women flying overhead. 

                Rogue wasn't used to this whole carry while flying thing. After all, Xavier was just beginning to train her in how to summon back powers she had already taken when she had left for Japan. Other then that, have two mutants, each of them acting as if she would just suddenly drop them wasn't making it any easier. 

                "Would ya'll quit squirmin'!?" She shouted. "And it seems that a certain mutant should lay off the pretzel mix!" 

                "Shut up!" Tabitha replied. "I've seen you eat a burger and fries quicker then Blob!" 

                "Can we all just be quiet and deal with the problem at hand?" Wanda hissed. 

                Looking down below they watched hopelessly at the people running. It was like the sentinel incident all over again. The grip the three held on each other tightened. This was probably the most risky attempt to protect the humans they've ever tried. For all they knew, if people found out about them, they might hold them captive there, never to see the shores of the United States again. 

                Still, whether they were caught or not, this was risky. The only thing blocking out the sound of Meibatsu's screams was a thin hex field, but that was slowly beginning to fade. Being mutants, chances were that they were more able to pick up the sound waves better then humans. If they could crush buildings, Tabitha could only shudder as she thought about what the sound could do to her "delicate ears".

***

                Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama pushed and shoved against the crowd. There was nothing that they wouldn't give to be able to fly like Rogue could.   It would've made the whole trip a lot easier. 

                Looking above them, they caught sight of Botan and Hiei flying overhead. Cringing, loudly if I might add, they continued onward. The sound of explosions several blocks away drove them to run quicker, not caring about whom they happened to knock over (though, Kurama apologized every so often). The streetlights began to flicker, bend, and twist, like trees during a storm. Thing was, they were twisting in same direction. Up two blocks, then a turn to the left. 

                'Wanda, be careful' Kurama thought to himself. 

***

                "Boom-boom!" Wanda shrieked, "Are you completely insane?!"

                "Yes I am!" she replied. 

                "Really? Ah hope ya got a death wish, since ya caught her attention! We get hit by one o' those waves, we'll be droppin' lord knows how many stories!" Rogue snapped. 

                "Um…oops?"

                "We…are so …frickin'…doomed,"  

***

                Koenma was glued to the screen as ogre after ogre rushed in with piles of papers. Though he really wasn't paying much attention, he flipped through them. All of them were prison records, profiles, anything that could even give them a single shred of a clue. 

                "Koenma, sir!" One of them shouted, bursting through the doors. "We have information on the man Botan mentioned!" 

                "You mean, Yukio?"

                "Yes, sir!" 

                "What are you just standing there for?! Let me see it!"

***

                After nearly, literally, dropping off Wanda and Tabitha on the breaking streets, Rogue did her best to block out the yelling as she rushed Meibatsu. 

Meibatsu turned to face her, though she was a little late to react, as Rogue slammed her knee into her stomach, sending her reeling. She landed hard on the top of a car, a massive dent bending beneath her. Struggling to get up, Rogue ran forward, wrapping her gloved hands around Meibatsu's neck. Making sure that her right hand was tight in place, she torn the left glove off with her teeth. Just as her fingertips were about to touch her forehead, Meibatsu shot out her hand, taking a tight hold of Rogue's wrist. Unable to break free, she could only cry out in pain as Meibatsu kicked her hard in the chest, sending her flying across the street into the glass of a telephone booth. 

Wanda waited. When Rogue's back slammed into the booth, her hands immediately went to the sky, raising the nearby cars, bikes, and motorcycles into the air, whirling around in a blue twister of power. With a few flicks of the wrist, the vehicles were thrown toward the demon. Of course, this was only the distraction. 

Seizing her chance, Tabitha dashed behind Meibatsu and the gold glowing orbs were gently rolled, stopping beneath her feet. With a loud blast and bright burst of light, she was tossed into the air, (along with most of the road). Fuming with anger, she turned and screamed. Tabitha covered her ears, but that noise! It was so loud! 

'My ears are going to be ringing for so long after this…' she thought as she fell to her knees. The scream only became louder, until she was sure that she could feel the sonic waves pounding at her body. The world began to darken in front of her eyes, and then everything suddenly became quiet. 

Meibatsu turned and glared. This was what happened the last time she had fought these wretched girls! The black haired girl had used her power to silence her, while the other drained her power. That wouldn't be happening again. 

"Do you honestly believe that the same trick will work on me twice?!" she cried. Wanda looked at her stunned as her hex field disappeared. The shrill cries and sonic waves flung her backwards like a rag door. Quick as her brother, Meibatsu stood over her, and pulled a razor tipped battle fan from her sleeve, ready and able to slit her throat. Wanda squeezed her eyes tight, waiting for the last blow to come…

"Spirit Gun!" 

Wanda opened her eyes and watched as Meibatsu was thrown away by a burst of icy blue light. Rolling onto her stomach, she smiled weakly as she looked up at Yusuke and the others as they ran toward them. 

"Scarlet Witch!" Kurama cried. Next thing she knew, she was pressed tight against his chest. 

Groaning in pain, Meibatsu strained her muscles as she tried to stand. Sitting pathetically on her knees, a tug of jealousy pulled at her as she found herself staring at Scarlet Witch as Kurama hugged her close. Her hands clenched into fists and hot tears welled in her eyes. Her fury giving her new strength, she screamed, thrusting herself up into the sky. Blinking back her tears, she glared at them from her perch atop the ruins of a fallen business building. 

Kurama looked up at the place the cry came from, his eyes widening. It couldn't be her! He was sure that she had been killed! There was just no way that she could still be alive after all those years! Images, like a horror movie of memories flashed before him. 

***

_They had been running for an unknown amount of time, the wet ground making it easy for the demon hunters to follow them as their footprints were left in the mud. They jumped over hedges, dived beneath tree roots and still they couldn't shake them. His partner had blow them away countless times before with her mournful cries and still they were pursued. _

_"Ah! My leg!" She cried. Blood poured onto the ground, trickling between her fingers in a hopeless attempt to stop the bleeding. He turned around and ran back, leaning over her and whispering calm words as he tugged at the arrow in her leg. Pulling it out, he looked over at her face as she winced, holding back a cry of pain. _

_"We have them! One of them has been crippled!" shouted a voice not far away. Though he hated himself for what he was about to do, he stood up. _

_"I will come back for you! I promise!" _

_"Wait! You can't leave me!" _

_"Forgive me!" _

_"No! Please help me!"_

_The hunters were just coming into view as he reached the top of a nearby hill. Crouching behind one of the massive stones, he watched in agony as the young girl was surrounded. She tried to scream but to no avail. The last words she spoke, before they managed to gag her, were directed at him. _

_"Traitor! TRAITOR!!"_

***

"What do you want Meibatsu?" Kurama yelled. "Why come after us?"

"Not them," she hissed, her eyes glowing with hatred. "Just you! This is all your fault! All of my pain, all of my agony and torture, it was all because of you!!"

"I don't understand!"

"Liar! You wretched fox! I was a fool for trusting you…" she said. Lowering her head in shame, a single tear dripped down her cheek. 

"Why?! Why did you betray me Kurama?!"

Author's Note: Hi! Yes, I'm sure you people hate me for stopping here but don't worry! I'll be updating again soon. Remember to review on your way out!   


	11. Chapter 11

            Everyone turned to stare at the red haired demon. Never had they seen such an obvious look of shock and regret on his usually calm face. Emotions flickered behind his green eyes. He and Meibatsu held each other's gaze, as if participating in a staring contest. 

                "387 years Kurama," she hissed. "51,558,075 days of staring into nothing but the dark void of the cell they held me in. And it was all because of you. I despise you,"

                "You can't be her! I had heard that you had died!"

                "Oh really? Open your eyes Kurama! I'm alive and oh, what plans I have for you!"

                "Hoshiko! Don't do this, we were partners, but please, tell me, how is it that you are still alive?"

                "Hoshiko is dead, not that you care of course, but none the less, don't you dare try to bring her back! My hatred has been keeping me alive. For years, I waited for you, the one who promised that he would come back for me. You never came back. You left me there, you left me to die in that cell!"

                Wanda still clutched Kurama's shirt. However, her grip had slowly begun to loosen. Every word that Meibatsu, or "Hoshiko", spoke echoed in her ears. Kurama had betrayed her? Locked up? Everything that she had come to consider him as had begun to fade. She hoped that Meibatsu was lying, or at least over exaggerating, since Kurama was beginning to sound eerily like her father. Doubts began to float around in her mind. Ugh, she couldn't even bare to look at him. Her heart and head argued, reason versus emotion and emotion was fighting a losing battle. 

                The world as he knew it was very quickly beginning to tear apart at the seams. For so long he had tried to bury the memories into the crypts of his mind. And yet, every few months or so, he would still be shaken from sleep by her cries of hatred. Traitor, that's what she had called him. He pulled Wanda closer to his chest, like a frightened child holding a toy. When he did, he found to his dismay that she shifted uneasily, half-heartedly trying to pull herself out of his embrace, her hands pushing against his chest. 

                Meibatsu stared. Her mind reeling and her anger grew as she watched as her former partner pulled that other young girl closer. What was she getting jealous for? She didn't care at all about Kurama any longer. Right?

                Why? Why did it hurt her so badly to watch him hold another woman in his arms?

                "This your new wench Kurama? If so, then I shall give you a single word of advice girl,"

                "My name is Scarlet Witch," she growled. She didn't appreciate being called "wench". 

                "Scarlet Witch, listen to me carefully, if Kurama ever makes you a promise, know that he never keeps them, when he tells you that he would give you anything and everything if it made you happy, know that he has **never** given anything without a reason,"

                Wanda slowly and gently pushed Kurama away, still refusing to acknowledge him.

                "Did he ever tell you? He killed his partner before me because he was of no more use to him, he's using you Scarlet Witch, just like your father did. That's right, I know about you and the others,"

                "Then ya should know not to mess with a pissed off me!" Rogue exclaimed, slowly beginning to stand. Cuts had torn her clothes and the fabric was slowly becoming darker as blood seeped into it. A bruise was already beginning to form on her cheek and a cut just above her right eye still flowed freely, giving the illusion of red tears. 

                Hiei looked over at the mutant watching her poor attempts to stand. He had never seen anything more beautiful. Even beaten and bleeding, Rogue stood her ground. Such strength of will and control over feelings of pain were a rarity. 

                Meibatsu merely threw the girl a glance before looking back at the cracking Scarlet Witch. 

                "Think Scarlet Witch, we aren't so different, you and I," a smirk became wider with each syllable. "When has anyone ever talked to you truthfully? When has someone ever wanted to get close to you without wanting to use and abuse your trust?"

                "Don't listen to her!" Kurama exclaimed. 

                "Your father locked you away. For eleven years, you were deprived of your happiness, and now looking back on you childhood, tell me, can you remember any beauty? Any joy? No? Oh, what a shame. However, Yukio has promised me my revenge; he can give you yours as well. Your father, brother, Kurama, none of them really care about you. They only care about your powers. What do you say child?"

                The intensity of the moment made it seem as if time was at a stand still. The anxiety was suffocating them all. 

                Wanda's hands clenched into fists at her sides, blue light, like licks of flame flickered. 

                "I don't need words," she hissed. Whirling around, she through the hex bolts at her teammates, Tabitha and Rogue, already injured, screamed in pain as Wanda changed the bolts into blazing fires, the smoke burning the eyes but mostly burning the soul. 

                This was quickly joined by the sonic waves, throwing the group of mutants, demons, and humans into a pile of debris. 

                A smile crept onto Meibatsu's lips. She was even tempted to laugh as she looked at the scene below. The Scarlet Witch had turned on her friends, and judging by her lack of remorse, she was damn glad she did it. 

***

                Evening fell and Kuwabara's house was crammed to bursting. It was closer then the mansion, and Rogue and Tabitha nearly collapsed in the doorway. Shizuru had rushed out to help them then left to go down town for more bandages and anti-bacterial. 

                Lying on the couch, many of her old wounds reopened, Rogue grit her teeth, out of both anger and denial. She had been positive that this whole thing was just some sort of nightmare, an illusion that she would wake from any moment. But no. That itself was an illusion. The pain was real, the enemies and allies were real. That betrayal was real too. She really was a Rogue, she had no friends, no family (not a decent one anyway) and nothing was ever going to ease her pain. 

                Kurama had more or less come out of that incident better then the others had. Physically better at least. 

                That battle definitely could've gone better. He wondered what would've happened if Wanda wasn't already wounded by her own life experiences. He should've known better then to think that Meibatsu wouldn't have gained information on the emotional weaknesses of the three mutant girls. Still, Kurama couldn't believe that Wanda had been so easily swayed. She didn't seem like the type that would allow her thirst for vengeance to come before her friends and family. Then again, she wasn't exactly blessed in the family department. And it didn't seem like she had many friends. Rogue, Tabitha, and Wanda always seemed on edge when around each other, each keeping the others at arms length. Perhaps they were still separated by the crevices that their own respected teams had put between each other. 

                For all of his demonic abilities, Hiei really wished that there had been some way that he could've stopped Wanda. It was his fault, for being distracted by Rogue. But the way she kept her stance despite the blood and bruises had stunned him. However, he somehow couldn't bring himself to praise her for it. If he had struck down Meibatsu during one of her seemingly endless speeches about revenge, it probably never would've happened. 

                Standing up to go get himself something to drink, Hiei was still deep in thought. So deep in thought, that he didn't notice Rogue approach and start walking beside him. 

                "Hiei," Rogue began, her eyes were still a bit glazed over from the loss of blood. "Ah don't think Tabitha and Ah should continue working with ya."

                "What? Why?" he exclaimed. Oh yeah, he was having a great day. 

                "Ah just don't wanna have Tabitha fightin' against one o' her teammates. It ain't right. The three of us are just takin' ya down. We're takin' ya down hard," 

                "No, you were able to hold off Meibatsu until we arrived. And you, Rogue, managed to stand despite your injuries. We need strength like that. Besides, we just pulled you into this, without so much as asking your names," Hiei replied. 

                "I think some trust games are in order," Yusuke said sarcastically, handing each one of them a soda. The three stood there in the hall. None of them speaking. 

                "Ah wonder how Kurama's doing? He cares a lot for Wanda. It's so obvious, it's laughable, if it weren't for the circumstances at least." 

                "I'm doing alright, thank you for your concern Rogue," Kurama said joining them. 

                "Me too, nothing's broken," Tabitha added. "Where's Kuwabara?"

                "He and Shizuru went out to get more bandages."

                "Oh."

                "I think we need to spend a little time contemplating our next move, and perhaps getting to know each other better," Kurama suggested.

***

                Koenma stared horrified at file before him. Having looked up Yukio Kuromori's file, he never thought that they would be dealing with a man like **this**. 

                Yukio Kuromori: wanted for the murder of 16 demons, information stealing, and file corruption. The one thing all the murders had in common was that all of them had wanted revenge on people that had also gotten in Kuromori's way. So that's how it worked huh? To the people being used, it was just killing two birds with one stone. The murders appeared to be done by means of poisoning celebratory drinks. 

                'Maybe I should get a more experienced team on this case' he thought in dismay. As soon as the thought came to mind, he immediately dismissed it. Meibatsu wanted Kurama, even if he did assign a different team, it wouldn't change the already dire situation. She would still be hunting him down, and, if she managed to kill him and Yusuke, she would ultimately end up another number on the list of murder victims. 

***

                The room was dimly lit, casting dark shadows in the corners. The dining room table was long, the polished wood glittering. Wanda poked absentmindedly at the food set in front of her, despite the fact that she was starving. 

                "I didn't slip anything into your food or your drink, if that's what you're thinking," Yukio said. "This is merely a simple meal of gratitude. Besides, discreet deaths aren't my style,"

                "Sorry," she replied bluntly. "I have issues," 

                "So it would seem."

                "Can you help me take out my father?" 

                "And just who would your father be?" He asked, cutting at the meat with a knife. 

                "A mutant like me, you might have heard of him, he's called Magneto," 

                "Magneto?!" He exclaimed. This was bad. Had he known this before, he never would've allowed her to stay. Great, just frickin' great, he was dealing with the daughter of a powerful mutant terrorist and he had let her waltz into his home as if he had known her his entire life. 

                Throwing an angry glance at Meibatsu, his gaze soon fell back on Wanda. 

                "Something wrong, Mr. Kuromori?" she sneered grinning wickedly. 

                "No, not at all"

***

                "-And so, mah mother Mystique used me to spy on the X-men and in return for the favor, Ah shoved her stone body off the cliff after Apocalypse turned her into a lawn gnome" 

                Hiei stared, a smirk spreading across his lips. He had to admit, the girl had spirit. Maybe being her partner wasn't so bad. 

                "Something 'bout that woman seems to make it hard for her to rest in peace, or pieces in the case of the statue incident,"

                The door clicked open and Shizuru and Kuwabara walked in, countless bags of medical supplies in their arms. Tabitha whistled, "What'd you do, raid a hospital?" 

                "Nah, chances are we could probably open one though," Shizuru replied. "I heard that a lot of the hospitals are getting over crowded. Since that earth quake wasn't natural, they had no way of detecting it,"

                "Ah see that the ability to sense supernatural beings runs in blood don't it?"

                They were lucky. Meibatsu (surprisingly) did less damage then they thought. Most of the neighborhoods were left standing. Some of them, like Kuwabara's had only felt a few small tremors. They guessed that it must've been because Meibatsu had been focusing her powers specifically on them, not the area around them. Still, their ears were ringing, and already they had gone through two bottles of pain killers. 

Hours later, around twelve thirty, Yusuke, Hiei, Kurama, Rogue, and Tabitha had settled to lying down in the living room. Trying to get home would've been too much of a hassle, since most of them lived further away from the school then most people. 

There was a heavy silence over the room and Kurama seemed to be spreading a depressing aura throughout the house. 

                 Suddenly, Rogue woke to a faint beeping sound. Like a cell phone or something. Her eyes fluttered open as she reached into her pocket and pulled out her communicator. 

                "Yeah?" she said a little drowsily. 

                "Rogue! It's me! Wanda!" 

Author's Note: Hey! Well, how did you like this chapter? Tell me or I won't continue got it?!?! Bye-bye!


	12. Chapter 12

            "Wanda!?" Rogue exclaimed. She sighed in relief. Still, that didn't mean that she wasn't as mad as hell. That last hex bolt of hers really hurt. Besides, if it hadn't been for that little outburst she might've been able to take down Meibatsu. Sure, she was nearly drowning in a puddle of her own blood, but really…

                "Rogue, keep your voice down!" Wanda hissed. Rolling her eyes, Rogue looked over to her side, the sound of rustling blankets drawing her attention. Kurama was up at looking at her, eyes wide in surprise and relief. She smiled. He had been all depressed and just hearing her voice made him jump as if he had been struck by lightning. 

                "Alright sugah, Ah want answers and Ah want 'em now!"

                "I've managed to get in close to both Meibatsu and Yukio,"

                "Wanda, where are you? We'll come as quickly as our strength will allow!" Kurama said. Oh, words could not express just how happy he was to hear her. But now, she has risking so much by speaking with them while in the heart of the strong hold of the enemy. If she were caught…his blood ran cold at the thought of what Meibatsu might do her, let alone what Yukio would do to her.

                "Kurama…for once, I don't want you or the others to save me,"

                "But, Wanda,"

                "Please, Kurama, listen to me. Meibatsu and Yukio are planning a final assault. Either she kills you and the others or she destroys Tokyo trying. Now, I don't know when this is going to happen but – I have to go! Someone's coming!" 

                "Wanda wait!" 

                CLICK.

***

                 Removing the communicator from her ear, Wanda shoved it down her shirt and into her bra. Slipping beneath the cool covers of the bed, she curled up on her side and pretended to be asleep. 

                 Yukio was walking calmly down the hallway when he came to a stop outside Wanda's door. Something tugged at him. Suspicion mostly, but also a small twinge of fear. His surveillance satellites had recorded all of Meibatsu's battles and she and those other two girls were proving to be just as troublesome as Urameshi. And something just seemed strange about her; it was almost too easy for her to have been swayed. But then again, powers like hers would be useful. 

                Continuing down his way, the faint sound of opera music caught his attention. Meibatsu's door was just slightly ajar and peaking inside, he found to his amusement, that Meibatsu sat on the chair in front of her vanity, muttering curses to herself. 

                As much as he tried to deny it, she was very beautiful, despite the scars that ran around her lips. It was a shame that he had to kill her once she was of no more use to him. 

                "Kurama," she growled. "What could you possibly see in this girl? She doesn't seem at all like anything special. Then again you were always a little eccentric."

                Slamming the door open, Yukio burst in an angry scowl on his face. Meibatsu was torn from her thoughts and whipped her head around to look at him. Too slow to react, she could only look up at him with fear as his hands wrapped around her throat. 

                "Release me – ugh!" she choked. Pain burst from the small of her back as she was slammed into the vanity. 

                "Feeling jealous are we?" he snapped, tightening his grip. "Now, we can't have that when you need to kill him." 

                "You know that with one scream I could destroy you and this mansion do you not?"

                Yukio reached into his pocket, pulled out a knife and pressed the blade against her skin. 

                "Not if I slit your vocal cords first,"

                She quivered in his grip. Wide eyes were fearfully cast downward at the glistening metal, which was now pressed against her throat. For one of the first times in her life, terror, real, honest terror filled her. To no avail she wished that things had remained the way they were, that Kurama would come to her aid, as he once did those many years ago. 

                Lowering the knife, he shoved her onto the floor and stormed out of the room. Laying on the plush carpet, coughing and gasping for air, hot tears welled in her eyes. 

                Was she jealous? Of that woman, Wanda Maximoff? For all of her hatred for Kurama, did she still harbor feelings for him? What the hell was wrong with her?! He left her to die. He never cared about her. Then why, why did she still want to be with him again so desperately? 

                'That girl…she's taking Kurama away from me! God, you idiot, Kurama! You couldn't begin to understand how badly I wanted to tell you how I felt, but you never saw me as anything aside from a partner. This pain, this turmoil it's all because of you! I must put a stop to it and this pain won't leave me until you die by my hand!!' 

***

                Morning was taking forever to come. The hours passed slowly, as if taunting Kurama with how long it was taking before he and the others could do anything to help Wanda. Ugh, he was sure that he would go insane long before the sun rose. 

                Hoshiko. Long before she was captured and he was killed, she was by far the most sought after woman in Makai. Beautiful, powerful, and despite her attitude and fiery temper, once you got close to her, she proved to be very affectionate and kind. To him, she was perfect, with no flaws, her amethyst eyes more beautiful then any jewel or treasure they had stolen. Her body perfectly toned because of the many raids she went on (whether or not he was with her). The clothing she wore, with a distinctly Chinese flare to them, flattered her hourglass-like figure, though the dark shades made her skin appear deathly pale, a little bit like Rogue's. 

                She had been a wonderful partner. Obedient, quick, and a she made a very good distraction if there were guards. Aside from that, she was like the little sister he never had. 

                And then everything fell apart in only two hours. 

                He had waited for a week to hear news of what had happened to her, but then, when he heard that King Yama would be the one passing judgment on her, it all seem hopeless somehow. The feelings of remorse had been driving him crazy. He wanted to go back for her, to set her free again. But his mind had been over run by the rumors that she had been executed, and he just couldn't bring himself to go and prove that those were just rumors. 

                But what of Wanda? What did she think of him now? Even before she had come up with the idea to fake a betrayal, she had seemed uncomfortable to be near him. Every word that Meibatsu had spoken of her past made him shiver. For all he knew, she may never look at him again. She probably thought that even though the incident occurred nearly 400 years ago, that he was no better then her father. Besides, it was obvious that she was still licking her wounds. 

                Looking to his left, he found that Hiei had disappeared. When, he wasn't sure, but when he looked to his right, Rogue was gone too. 

                She had gotten up not too long ago. Kurama had heard her soft footsteps on the wooden flooring not even fifteen minutes earlier. After leaving the bathroom, he had watched with interest as she realized that Hiei had wandered off somewhere. Carefully tiptoeing over a fast asleep Tabitha, and undoing the lock as quietly as she could, she stepped out the back door, leaving it open, only slightly so as not to wake up the others when she returned. He smiled slightly to himself. 

                The air was cold and there was only a slight breeze as Rogue made her way down the sidewalk. Though still dressed in her borrowed sleepwear, she didn't mind, though she had to admit it was slowly becoming colder. Wrapping herself in hug as she turned the corner, she quickened her pace to a brisk trot. She really hadn't the slightest clue as to where she was going, but something Kurama said; that they were similar in personality gave her a pretty good idea as to where she was going.

                Lucky for she and Hiei both, there was a small park not far from Kuwabara's home. 

                It was freezing! Her teeth had begun to chatter together and her feet were numb from cold. Upon entering the park, Rogue quickly took a seat on a nearby by swing, the one beside it, obviously older, squeaked and whined as it hypnotically swung back and forth in the breeze. That was probably why she didn't notice as someone came from behind to lean on the cold metal pole of the swing set. 

                "Why are you following me?" said a voice. Standing up and whirling around, Rogue quickly got into a fighting stance, though it was a little shaky from her shivering. 

                "Don't flatter yourself, Ah ain't following ya," she replied. 

                "You're a terrible liar," Hiei said.

                "Well, it ain't easy to lie when it's so cold outside!"

                "Idiot. You're not wearing any shoes, socks, or a coat, of course you're going to be cold,"

                "Like ya really care,"

                Though facing opposite directions, (since Rogue had retaken her seat on the swing), the two of them turned their heads to glare daggers into one another. Unfortunately, this backfired, at least in Hiei's case, as Rogue started snickering at him, and she lost her concentration on her patented death glare. 

                "Just what is so funny?" Hiei asked, breaking the silence. 

                "It ain't nothin' much sugah, just that ya look like Wolverine when ya look at me like that,"

                "Did you just call me 'sugah'?" A look of horror, disgust, and shock flickered across his face. This only managed to get her snickering again. Sadly, her snickering became giggling, and giggling became laughing. Eventually, it got to a point where he actually walked up in front of her and pressed one of his hands, protected by his sleeve, over her mouth, in an attempt to try and silence her. The overall shock of his actions got her quiet very quickly. 

                He didn't know why, but Hiei held his hand there for a moment after she had gotten quiet. When he finally moved his hand, she sat there staring up at him, stunned. However, most of his attention was on the fact that his sleeve was still a bit warm from where her lips had been. 

                "Well…that was…unexpected," Rogue said nervously. 

                "To say the least," Hiei replied. Looking back at her, he saw that she still stared at him like a deer in headlights. "I shouldn't have done that,"

                "No, it…it ain't you Hiei…really. It's just that when ya ain't touchable, your not used to people willingly gettin' that close to ya," she said softly, in shaky reassurance. She stood up from her seat. "Ah'm gonna go back to Kuwabara's. See ya in the morning,"

                "I'll go back with you,"

                "No! No…that…that ain't necessary. Ah'm a southern girl Hiei. Ah don't need protection," 

***

                Staring up at her ceiling, Wanda lay awake, thinking about the events of that day. Needless to say, Rogue, Yusuke, and Kuwabara, being as short tempered as they were, weren't going to be very happy when they regrouped. 

                She frowned. Would Kurama be angry with her too? Jeez, thinking about that was making a whole wave of guilt rush over her. Though still confused as to why, she just seemed to know (or at least think) that if he was mad at her, that she wouldn't be able to stand all of the guilt. 

                But why should she care, for the time of course. After all she was, currently, the "enemy". Oh yeah, she was the big scary enemy whom everyone quakes in fear at. They better quake in fear or she would find other means of making them shake like little, dry, pathetic leaves. Little leaves that would be easily crushed. 'Hurray!' she thought sarcastically. 'My not-so-first evil thought! Now I can work on that evil laugh…'

Author's Note: Hey there everyone! I just wanted to say that you shouldn't get your hopes up for a new chapter updates until early January since I'm going back to Minnesota for my Christmas break, and I won't be back until New Years eve. So, all you loyal people out there who have constantly been reading and reviewing this story, I would like to think of this as an early Christmas (Hanukah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice) present okay? Bye! Happy Holidays!  


	13. Chapter 13

            The morning light would've been bright and beautiful had it not been for the clouds that hung like a blanket across the sky. Shielding the eyes from anything that managed to get above them, creating a sense of a barrier set up around and above. But to those who knew better, this was nothing more then a fake security. A lie meant to keep the sheep calm before the slaughter. 

                Wanda had called them, not long after breakfast. She said that Meibatsu had gone out for a morning flight while Yukio had left for "business reasons". The way she had said it gave the impression that the very letters left a sour taste in her mouth. This had gotten them all on edge. However, as expected, Rogue, Hiei, and Kurama were strangely calm. Then again, in Rogue's case, being an X-man (an X-woman to be more specific) could tend to ensure a level head during times of crisis. 

                The group stepped out, most of them dressed in the clothes they wore yesterday. Though the flames that Wanda created had hurt them badly, their clothes had gotten out more or less intact. Rogue and Tabitha however, had to wear a few of Shizuru's clothes. Tabitha had been thoroughly (and publicly) humiliated when she had regained consciousness on yesterday's battlefield, only to realize that her blouse had been cut to ribbons, her bra visible to the whole world. There was no way she would wear that outfit again. 

                "Ah'm glad the sun ain't out," Rogue said as they looked around the destroyed area. "Mah skin burns too easily when it is,"

                "You mean you're naturally that pale?" Tabitha replied, completely shocked. "I thought that was just make-up!"

                "Ah'd be flat broke buyin' that much make-up."

                "Rogue! Tabitha! Yusuke! Kuwabara!" a voice called out. Peering over their shoulders, they stood still as a teary-eyed Keiko trotted up to them. Blinking back tears, she grabbed Yusuke's shoulder and spun him around to face her. He looked at her a little confused. 

                "Yusuke, you jerk!" SMACK. "What were you thinking?! You could've been killed! Again!!" 

                "Good morning to you too Keiko,"

***

                The silence was wonderful. Wanda never got silence like this at the brotherhood house. It was actually very refreshing. And it felt good not to be stalked by a boy code named "Toad". Just the name made most people sick to their stomachs. She wondered if he would be jealous to see how sweetly and lovingly Kurama treated her, how tightly he held her. Jealousy was both an evil yet entertaining emotion. 

                The hall, which she was walking down, allowed for many sounds to echo through the mansion. Hence, it came as no surprise that she heard the front door click shut, and the sound of shoes against the marble flooring. 

                As Meibatsu turned around the corner, Wanda took great notice to a thin mask of hatred. She knew the expression well. Rogue wore it all the time. Her incapability to touch, and Meibatsu's fear to be close to anyone made them so psychologically similar it was frightening. Rogue had far more experience in masking her emotions then Meibatsu did however and it was almost pitifully easy to see that deep down, in the darkest pits of her soul that she was still afraid and horribly lonely. 

                "Why is it that you stare at me Scarlet Witch?" she hissed. 

                "It's nothing really," Wanda replied quickly. "I was just surprised. That's all,"

                Wanda cocked her head to the side slightly. Bundled up in Meibatsu's arms was what appeared to be folded silk, a lovely scarlet color actually. She assumed it was a new battle outfit. 

                "You and Kurama," Meibatsu began setting down the bundle onto a near by table. "What is your relationship?"

                "I don't think you could at call it a relationship at all." Wanda said. "We just arrived here as exchange students not too long ago. We're just working partners, at least for now. I go back home to New York in about three months." 

                "Oh"

                "Why do you ask? Since when do you care when someone gets close to the enemy?"

                She didn't even bother to reply, just quickly turned on her heel and left, leaving Wanda standing there in the hall, slowly allowing the silence to fill the void around her again like before. This time, the silence wasn't as wonderful. 

                Heading into the kitchen, she picked up the bundle and unrolled some of the fabric. It was much too pretty to be worn into the battle. If she survived this short notice mission, she would definitely consider keeping it. 

***

                His coffee had gone cold quite some time ago and he had only nibbled a little on his sandwich. The conversations and planning going on around him was nothing but a muddled mess of words and sounds and he really wasn't paying that much attention to be perfectly honest. Dipping his spoon into the mug, he swirled it around, not noticing the annoyed glances he was getting from both Hiei and Rogue as he absentmindedly continued stirring, the steady clink of the spoon wearing away at their patience. 

                "Kurama! Ah ain't got any idea what's going on in that head o' yours but if ya don't stop that, Ah might as well take your head right off!" 

                "What? Sorry, I was just thinking,"

                "'Bout Wanda," Rogue finished. It wasn't even a question; it was a statement. "Listen. Ah won't lie to ya or sugah coat it. Infiltration missions are difficult and dangerous. Ya gotta be on your guard at all times or ya gonna get caught," she said flatly. "But trust me, if anyone can pull it off, Wanda can, besides, she wouldn't want ya to be all sad and depressed like this when the whole city's in danger. We don't need ya spacin' out on us. After all, you're the smart one,"

                "What about us?" Kuwabara asked. 

                "Ya'll are just the ones in denial," she replied with a smirk. With a surprisingly warm smile, Rogue reached over and rested a comforting gloved hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "Everything's gonna be alright, ya hear?" 

                "If you say so Rogue. Thank you,"

                "It's a sign of the Apocalypse!" Tabitha mockingly shouted. "Rogue's gone soft! Everyone, to the shelters!"

                "Tabitha, Ah am gonna drain ya till there ain't nothin' left!" 

***

                Yes, she admitted it. Meibatsu was jealous. So disgustingly jealous of that girl who had received Kurama's loving attention. If she wasn't working along side her, she was sure that she would've killed her long before now. And in this case, she would've made it excruciatingly painful. 

                With her back against the wood of the door, she sank down to the floor and curled herself into a ball. Her elbows on her knees, she rested her head in her hands, and her memories drifted to a time long since past. Kurama would have come and sat down beside her, and uncharacteristically wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a reassuring hug. Then she would've buried her head in his chest and cried. It didn't matter what the circumstances were, whether it be the loss of a team member in a raid gone wrong or just a moment of unsuppressed sorrow and depression, he would always hold her. Eventually, some times, she would fall asleep, there in his strong and protective arms, the gentle sound of his heart beating the most beautiful of lulling songs. And on even rarer occasions, she would wake up there too. She had even woken up in his bed on at least two occasions, with him on top of the covers beside her. It was always amazing how handsome and peaceful he looked in his sleep. 

                Now, in the mansion of her benefactor, she was stuck in the same place as another woman who had also seen Kurama's kinder, more emotional side. It wasn't supposed to be that way. It was wrong! It was so horribly wrong! Kurama belonged to her and her alone! She was the only one who should be pressed against his chest, to hear the sound of his beating heart! And if she couldn't have him, no one could. 

***

                For Hiei, killing had been a sort of art form. A hobby or pass time so to speak. When blood poured onto the ground, the patterns in which they fell were a far better achievement then any human painting and their screams of agony before they died were greater then any symphony.

                Since then, he had learned so much, from Kurama, Yusuke, the idiot, and everyone else about the beauty of true art and though he denied it, he had come to believe that the body of a woman was the greatest master piece God had to offer to world. His sister Yukina was the perfect example. She was dainty and slender, with flawless skin and eyes and hair that glittered like the gems that were formed of her tears. It wasn't that surprising that someone would find her attractive. He just wished that it hadn't been the idiot. 

                He sliced downward with his katana. A few beads of sweat had begun to form on his forehead from the afternoons' training session. New skills would be greatly needed in the coming battle. 

Looking beyond the surface, women were also the most emotionally and mentally complicated. And judging by Keiko and Yusuke's relationship, women had strange ways of showing that they cared for those they held dear. Even if that meant pushing them away, allowing themselves to be consumed by their own self pity and feelings of worthlessness. Inevitably, this only led to them falling into the shadows, their heart cold and full of malice, while deeper still they wanted nothing more then to be held and loved. They wanted to feel that they had a place, that someone out in the universe gave a damn about them. 

                He lunged, blocked, and quickly attacked enemies that weren't there. Every ounce of his strength would be needed. They had yet to battle Kuromori and seeing as he held such a short leash on both Meibatsu and Wanda, this wasn't a man to be taken lightly. 

For everything they had gone through trying to defeat her, Hiei held a sliver of pity toward Meibatsu. He just wished that Yukina wouldn't end up that way, because he was too ashamed to admit that he was her brother. It was pathetic yet it made some amount of sense. 

                And Rogue, would she have turned out that way if she hadn't joined the X-men? 

                'This is going to be dangerous. We knew it from the start,' Hiei thought. There was no way that they would leave the battlefield without substantial injury. For all he knew, they might not make it out at all. But, if anyone was to die, he desired nothing more passionately then to be sure that it wasn't her. The board had long since been set. Everything now rested solely on the skill and strength of each player's pieces.

He fingered the edge of his sleeve and could imagine the warmth of her mouth against it. Even through the fabric, he could tell that her lips were soft and smooth. If not for her power, he wondered what it would be like to kiss her. She was very pretty, though very pale and he wondered if her untainted skin was as warm to the touch as her lips were.

                His mind came to a screeching stop. Where the hell had that come from?! She was his partner (though unwilling). For some reason this term – partner – was beginning to take on a different meaning then he had originally intended. 

***

There was a small break in the clouds and the warm rays of the sun were bright. There was nothing left but a little bit of the corner of his sandwich and Tabitha, in the middle of a caffeine rush, had poured him another cup of coffee. Kurama was still a little worried though. Wanda was up to her neck in risk and only made it worse by keeping in contact with them. Rogue's words, were harsh but truthful. He began to wonder if lies would've been more of a comfort to him now. It didn't matter. After all, Rogue was right. Wanda was strong, she wouldn't go down without a fight, she wouldn't go down at all. She wasn't stupid either, and knew to be careful. 

                Slowly closing his eyes, Kurama tilted his head upward, the sun hitting the side of his face, as he thought to himself words that came together as the closest thing to a prayer that he could think of. 

***

"Kurama is really hung up on that partner of his isn't he?" Yusuke said snickering. He, Kuwabara and a hyper active Tabitha lounged in the park, just killing a little time. 

                "Those two must really have something special between them to make him worry like that. I didn't even think that Kurama could worry!" Kuwabara replied. Inwardly, they all agreed on that. Kurama was usually so cool and calm about things, no matter what, but since he had gained a female partner, he seemed different some how. 

                "Trust me," Tabitha said. She said it so quickly it would put Quicksilver to shame. "Since moving into a house full of boys, there's only one reason a guy like Kurama would change like that,"

                "He loves her doesn't he?" Keiko finished. 

                "Yep. Toad started acting the same way too when Wanda moved in. He's kinda become her stalker,"

                "Now that's creepy," Kuwabara shivered. 

                "Saying his a stalker is putting it mildly too," Tabitha cringed. 

                "That's so sweet though," Keiko cooed. "Like something out of a shojo manga!"

                "Please," Yusuke muttered rolling his eyes. "They just met, and you think that he feels that way about her after, what, two day?"

                "Oh, Yusuke, don't you believe in love at first sight?" Keiko asked. 

                "Probably not since it took him and Keiko forever to get together!" Kuwabara snickered. 

                "Hey. Th-that's…that's not…" They stuttered, completely embarrassed. 

                "Ooh, Keiko and Yusuke sittin' in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Tabitha teased. 

                "Shut up!"

***

                The vase had been cleanly sliced and the top half slid and fell, shattering on the cold ground. With a flick of the wrist, the razor tipped fan holded back together again. If anyone hadn't see it, they may have not have thought that such a seemingly harmless object could prove to be such a deadly weapon. 

                It had been nearly an entire day since Yukio had left. Whatever business he was taking care of, he didn't know but already it was growing late. The clocks inside the mansion had already struck eleven pm. The moon was out and a fog had begun to roll over the area. It was both beautiful and chilling. 

                Meibatsu stood from her fighter's crouch to the sound of slow clapping coming from the trees. 

                "Well done," Yukio said stepping into the clearing from the bush. "I'm impressed. Those skills will certainly be useful in your final battle."

                "Final battle?" 

                "Yes. You and the Scarlet Witch will be launching a final assault tomorrow morning. I want to see all of those detectives dead at my feet or I assure you, you will be the ones to die,"

                "Fine. That works for me. But how do we manage such a fight out in the open, in front of the humans?" 

                "Oh no, you won't be fighting in the city my dear. You will be fighting…elsewhere."

Author's note: Well, next chapter, we will be beginning the final battle. How will it turn out? As if I would honestly tell you! See ya! 


End file.
